


Life On Mars

by AeveeItazura



Category: The Venture Bros
Genre: AU, F/M, Gore, Smut, space stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-29
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-07-27 12:37:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 68,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7618402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeveeItazura/pseuds/AeveeItazura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean finds more then mystery and surprises on Mars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Waiting for his brother and his family to show up, Dean straightens his glasses for the umpteenth time and looks out the window again. It’s a weekly tradition for him to meet up with his brother and his family. Dean wishes he wasn’t alone waiting for Hank to hurry up. He signs, knowing there is a good reason for why he is alone right now. Still, he can’t help but wish he wasn’t.

Dean sees an announcement for a special on Jonas Sr.’s on the lone television in the diner, and rolls his eyes. He doesn’t need to watch it to know that a lot will wrong or “forgotten”. It will be a glorified praise filled hour spouting about all things Jonas did or “helped” with. 

He doesn’t see Hank and his family walk in until Hank gets his attention. Thaddy is talking about a spelling test he “totally aced” as his mother listens intently to the small child. Hank pulls him into a hug, apologizing for his tardiness. They pull apart and Dean waves the apology off. Hank being late is just part of the package of Hank. He’s used to it by now. 

He looks at the likely culprit for the tardiness. Shirt buttoned with all the skill an eight year old can muster, Dean can’t help but notice the boy’s pants are… clearly backwards. A very logical reasoning behind it, Dean smiles as Hank launches into a detailed discussion about work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Looking out the small window, Dean leans on his right hand. The view never changes in space. Nothing but blackness and twinkling stars with the occasional planet. He wishes he thought to grab one of his Giant Boy Detective books before getting into the ship. Or maybe a textbook or any form of entertainment.

He thought that his dad grew out of these adventures by now. That being in New York away from this life was what he wanted. Then an emergency beacon was picked up by Uncle J.J.’s fancy science stuff. His dad couldn’t resist and packed up his new rocket ship and family. 

Dean understands why he dragged Sergeant Hatred, but why he dragged him and Hank is beyond him. Hank is even more bored then he is. Dean is still awake, staring out the window while Hank is snoring. Dean rolls his eyes as he realizes Hank has his pants on backwards. Ninja training or some other reasoning, he is sure. 

With HELPeR’s help, Hatred is driving the ship towards their destination. Of course his dad is sleeping, his snores competing with Hank’s. If he wasn’t in a spaceship on his way to Mars he would throw himself off the ship. He does not see things improving once they get to the colony on Mars.

Dean just hopes they don’t have to be there for long. The odds of there being other people his age with similar enough interests are slim to none. It’s probably full of grown ups who don’t want anything to do with a teenager like him or Hank. Only having Hank to hang out with for a week or longer would be too much, even for Dean. Looking at his wrist phone/watch, there is somebody he could talk to that isn’t Hank. 

He doesn’t remember the first time he met Roxanne Whalen-White. She only lives a few miles away from their old compound. They must have met at least once. Especially since her parents have been best friends with his dad for years. They might have met when they were little kids. Or it was a different Dean that met her. For him, both are just as likely. Being a clone is a unique experience that he is still getting used to.

He may not remember meeting her, but he knows she was a welcome guest at the Venture compound. It was only after his dad stopped with the nonstop adventures he noticed how often she stopped by. Dean didn’t mind too much. It was nice having somebody to talk to that wasn’t Hank or HELPeR. Somebody who went to school and did normal teen things. She never made a big deal about him being a Venture or a clone. No matter what, he was Dean to her. Once he figures out the time differences, maybe they can talk if he has to be here for a super long time.

Looking out the front window, he sees a large red planet appear. Shaking his dad awake, he rolls his eyes. This is his adventure, after all. And he was sleeping. Dean is just tagging along for the ride. Even though he could have just stayed home and listened to his dad after he got back.

Hatred lands the ship on the docking port. The sound of the ship powering down wakes Hank from his sleep. “I am the bat!” he declares, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Used to odd declarations from Hank, they ignore it for the time being. The ship’s inhabitants were more focused on somebody coming up to greet them. 

 

A short figure in a full body orange suit runs up to their ship, arms waving excitedly. A large dome shaped helmet obscures the figure’s features. Dean’s eyes knit with worry. He assumed the outer sphere that opened to let the ship in the colony kept it safe from radiation. Or whatever the sphere is protecting the colony from.

 

The figure stops in front of the ship’s nose. Like they realized how somebody in a radiation suit running to greet them would look. A short arm goes up, asking for a moment. The figure takes off the helmet and reveals a cattish grin. And ears and face. Dean can’t believe his eyes. What is Rox doing up here? The second the door to the ship is open, she leaps into his arms.

 

“Rox!” Dean says. “What are you doing here?”  
“This weird beam kidnapped, Dad, Father and me,” she says. “They needed a computer technician and a surgeon. I happened to be sleeping on Dad’s lap when they beamed us up.”  
“You got abducted?” Dean asks.  
“Uh huh,” she answers. “Turns out all those famous people who just poofed up since the 60’s or something were up here. Working on this colony thing. It’s super cool. It’s like it’s own city and everything.”

 

Dean’s dad clears his throat, shooting a meaningful look at Dean. Dean realized he was still holding Rox from her surprise hug. He puts her down on the ground, rubbing his arm as his ears burn. She continues explaining as they file out of the ship. The tiles beneath their feet is an orange colour. The air has an iron like quality to it, but it’s easy to breathe. 

 

A large sand coloured beast is being lead by a scientist walking by, distracting Dean from Roxanne’s impromptu tour. Following his gaze, Rox explains how when people first came here, the radiation caused massive mutations. The pets they brought turned into the sand beasts they see.

 

A random beast steps in front of Rusty. A collar around it’s name says “SPARK” in a professional font. It’s large gold/silver eyes are blank as it tilts its head at him. A faint green glow radiates from the beast. Panting, it rubs its face against his leg before leaving. Rusty looks at the beast padding away.

 

“Uhh, what’s wrong with them?” he asks, wiping drool from his pants.  
“Oh, nothing,” Rox says. “They are just really affectionate.”

 

Satisfied he isn’t going to catch something, they continue her tour. Dean is scanning the area around as she leads them to their living quarters. According to Rox, they shouldn’t be around for too long. But it’s always nice to have a place to call your own in the meantime. She leaves them to getting settled in their space. She promises to come back to fetch them when it’s dinner time.   
Looking around the area, he sees five separate areas. Four bedrooms with a living room/kitchen separate the rooms.

 

Rox points out the bathroom hidden between the rooms on the left. It’s small but it has everything a bathroom needs. Dean claims the one farthest right from the door as Hank claims the farthest left room. Dean doesn’t see which room his father or bodyguard picks, and he does not care. They stay out of his space, he will stay out of theirs. Even if they are here for awhile, at least he won’t be too bored. Maybe he and Rox will solve a mystery while they are up here.

 

The room he has is smaller than his attic and his new room in New York. The room is aglow with artificial light coming from the covered light on the ceiling. A neutral grey blue blanket covers the bed. There is a night stand and a small closed closet and besides the bed there isn’t much to look at in the room. The view his room offers does nothing to make up for the plain room. 

Red orange dirt as far as the eye can see. Squinting his eyes, he could have sworn he saw something moving outside. It disappeared as soon as he tried to focus on it. Before he has a chance to investigate further, he hears knocking on his door. Opening the door, he sees Rox standing at the door.

She has since changed out of her orange space suit. She looks at him, eyes nervous. She is wearing a light pink dress, the edge of the ruffled garment touching down past her knees. Lavender tights cover her legs, purple pumps complementing the tights. A light dusting of blue eyeshadow makes her eyes look more blue than grey. A faint red tint is visible on her cheeks through her cream coloured fur.

“You look nice,” he stammers. 

She mutters a quiet “thank you” and they head off to the dining hall. Dean sticks close to Rox. He can’t help notice she is a bit tense. Hank and Hatred argue about comics as she leads the group. Rusty seemed disinterested until he saw Billy and White. He separates from the group to greet his best friends. Dean can’t help notice the guilty expression the two men shared. Dean squints his eyes. He swore the two were holding hands a moment ago. 

A tugging on his arm interrupts his worries. Looking down, he sees Rox has her hand wrapped around his arm. Looking around, he sees the rest of their group has split off. Rox shrugs and they head into the dining hall. Rox leads him to the food lines and points out the vegetarian options to him. Plates filled, they look around the bustling dining hall. Dean tries to joke about her plate missing chicken for her animal kingdom on her plate. He can hear her growl under her breath so he stops.

Dean can see Mr. White and Dr. Billy sitting at a table with his pop. Mr. White and Mr. Billy are talking in hushed tones. Hatred and Hank are nowhere to be seen, so Dean and Rox find a table to themselves. A small table by the entrance works for them. Rox picks at the meatloaf on her plate, letting the gravy soak into the loaf.

Looking at Rox’s plate, Dean can’t help the slight crinkle of his nose at the greasy smell. He knows that she is half cat and that means a meat heavy diet. The smell of the cooked meat loaf soaking in the dark brown gravy still makes him feel a little queasy. Finding out he was a clone put things in a different light for Dean. Life was more precious to him now. Learning how to cook for himself since Hatred and pop don’t know anything more than salad and cereal, vegetarian wise, was tricky. He’s doing something different then those other Deans. Rox glares at him and he tilts his head. He doesn’t know what is up with her. She was cheerful, downright exuberant earlier. But now she is being a complete sour puss.

“What?” he asks.  
“Must you look at me like that?” she asks.  
“What are you talking about?” Dean asks.  
“You keep staring at my food like it made said something about your mother,” she quips.   
“Jokes on you,” he barks, a sore subject. “I don’t even have a mother, remember?”

 

“Neither do I, genius,” she hisses. “Unless a test tube counts.”   
“You have parents who care about you,” he growls, tension rising.  
“And you don’t?” she says. “How many laws did Uncle Rusty to bring you and Hank back?”  
“How many did your creator?” he snaps.  
“Don’t you DARE go there,” she snarls.  
“Why not?” he asks. “You brought my creator up first.”

 

She stands up, ears flat and claws bared. She steps around the table and gets right in his face. Not an easy feat, considering she is a foot shorter. He balls his fists, glaring at the cat girl. He doesn’t know how this got out of hand so fast. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Mr. Billy getting up as his dad and Mr. White look on with matching confused looks. 

 

“Listen carefully, Deanie,” she growls, her voice low and dangerous. “You have people in your life that care about you, GREATLY. The person who created me didn’t care what happened to me, not now, not ever. Only person who CARES you are a clone is you. ”

 

Dean feels anger bloom in his chest. Like Rox knows anything about what it’s like to be him. She doesn’t know a damn thing about him. Being just a copy of a long dead person is worse than being a walking science experiment. She is a unique, one of a kind special one a in trillion girl. His memories up until these last two years aren’t even his own. He glowers down at her, anger colouring his cheeks red.

 

“Least you know who you are,” he snarls. “You don’t have to live with knowing that you are so easy to replace. If my dad actually cared he would have protected me from dying like yours do. You have no idea what it’s like to have your whole world turned upside down on you. To be a freak of nature.”

 

“I’m half cat!” she shrieks. “I’ve always been a freak! People don’t stop you in the street saying you are way too early for Halloween or that you should be on a leash. People don’t yank on your tail or make cat noises at you. Nobody calls you a filthy half-breed.”

 

“Enough!” Mr. Billy shouts. “Fighting is not the answer. We have to work together. Can we please forget our differences?”

 

Mr. Billy stands between the two arguing teens, separating the two. Tears prick the corners of Rox’s large grey blue eyes, she swipes them away angrily. Dean steps back, what just happened sinking in as he sees her sniff back tears. What happened to the sweet and cheerful Rox he knew? Back home, she always had a kind word for everybody. Even Dermott. 

 

He remembers she used to sneak him home made goodies and he would sneak her books. Sometimes, they’d go and lay on the lawn and look at the stars all night. They used to have so much fun together. This is not like her at all. He offers his hand to her, unsure of what to do to help. She swats his hand away, her eyes flash with rage and hopelessness.

 

“I don’t need your pity, Veggie Boy,” she snarls. “Why don’t you get over this emo angst of yours and grow up already?”

 

She storms out of the dining hall, her meal almost untouched. Dean sits back down, picking at his salad and steamed vegetables. Dean keeps staring at the untouched plate. Shaking his head, he knows what he has to do. He picks up the two plates, grimacing at the meat gravy dripping towards his thumb. Holding the two plates, he walks over to the table where White is busy discussing music with his dad.

 

“Can you take me to where you are staying, Mr. Billy?” Dean asks. “I want to apologize to Rox.”  
“Uh, sure” Billy says. “Back in a bit, White.”

 

Without another word, Billy gets up from the table. Billy grabs a handful of plastic wrapped utensils and sticks them in Dean’s front pocket. They head off to Mr. Billy and Mr. White’s living quarters. Dean is surprised to see that they are not that far from his family’s living quarters. Standing in front of the room, Dean sighs. Billy pats him on the back, wishing him luck. Billy knocks on the door for Dean and walks away.

 

Dean can hear rustling and Rox proclaiming “One minute!” from the other side of the door. After a short wait, the door swings open. Dean’s cheeks immediately turn red. Rox has already changed into a thin pink night gown. It looks soft and is a bit low cut with delicate lace trim. Rox tries to slam the door shut once she saw it was him, cheeks equally red. He manages to wedge his foot into the doorway.

“I brought you dinner,” Dean says.

 

He holds the plate with the gravy and meatloaf at her eye level. Rox is peeking around the door, pink nose working overtime.Her empty stomach wins over pride and she lets him in. She takes the plate with her meatloaf and goes over to the microwave sitting in the corner of the room. Dean sits on the couch in the living area and he places the plastic utensils from Mr. Billy onto the table.   
While waiting for the meatloaf to heat up in the microwave Rox has managed to find a random jacket to cover herself with. 

Dean keeps his mouth shut about the jacket, wanting to keep the peace. The jacket looks like it escaped the eighties worse for wear. It’s eye scorching bright orange with random patches all over it. Rox looks at the jacket and mumbles about an old suitcase full of odd clothes her dad happened to be using as a footrest. The microwave beeps, getting her attention. Food heated, she sits next to Dean on the couch. Moving a warmed carrot around on his plate, Dean sighs.

“I’m sorry for what I said,” he mutters. “Back in the dining hall.”  
“I’m sorry too,” she whispers. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. I don’t know what it’s like being a clone.”  
“I don’t know what it’s like being half cat,” Dean said in response.

She nods, a weak smile on her face. It’s nice to see her smiling again. She seems to be over her bad mood now. Dean is glad. It would have been way worse if they were bickering the entire time up here.

They started talking about the strange things about being a clone versus being a cat girl. Dean didn’t even notice the time flying by until Mr. White and Mr. Billy came back home, hand in hand. He takes the look the two men are sharing as a cue to head “home”. Bidding goodbye to Rox, he promises to see her tomorrow morning. 

Back at his temporary home, he slips into his room undetected. His pop and bodyguard are already back. He can hear them bickering in Sergeant Hatred’s room. They must have thought that Dean must have already gone to sleep and wouldn’t hear them. Rolling his eyes, Dean changes into his pajamas and flops onto the bed. Exhausted after the days events, Dean doesn’t even notice the beast staring at him as he passes out on his bed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More about Mars is discovered as the Ventures uncover mysteries.

Even though they were on a whole new planet, Dean found himself having trouble finding ways to occupy his time. They were introduced around to other people on the colony. Most already had their own “cliques” so they kept to themselves. The only progress he made was finding out why they were called to Mars. 

For years, the only problem the colonists had was getting enough oxygen produced and getting the planet suitable for human inhabitation. Then around twenty years ago, a strange form of radiation appeared. It started to mutate every living thing outside of the shield. Namely, the natives of Mars, which lived in relative peace with the colonists.

The scientists theorize the radiation must be responsible the sudden aggression in the natives. They feel that having a geneticist like Rusty helping would speed up finding a way to counter the radiation and help them return to how they were before this “radiation business” started up. Rusty of course volunteered. 

What pop promised was to be a day, maybe at most a two day trip turned into two weeks with no end in sight. They all had plenty of “supplies” as Rusty called them to last them months. Dean was not surprised in the least. He was grateful for Rox keeping him company during this time. Hank was busy investigating the colony on his own, and Dean was grateful for the company Roxx provided. She sometimes even had some information for him that he doubts he would have learned on his own.

Rox told Dean about how some people from the colony leaving the colony and never coming back. All that was ever found was smashed helmets. Some rocks covered in what appeared to be blood were found strewn around the entrance. And the mysterious howls in the middle of the night Hank swears he hears were not assuaging any of his worries. He hopes that it’s just a misunderstanding and things will turn out alright.

Right now, his biggest worry was seeing the colony’s eye specialist. Dr. Smith offered to see him after he saw Dean trying to read a sign on the colony. Since he isn’t leaving anytime soon, he took up Dr. Smith’s offer. So here he is, trying to pick frames for his glasses.

Trying to pick between the identical black frames is giving him a headache worse than Hank’s Batman marathon. He steps out of the corner office for a breath of fresh air. Leaning against the wall outside the office, he sighs. He should just pick a pair and live with it. It’s not like he’s going to be seeing them that much anyway.

Squinting his eyes, he sees Rox walking down the hall, looking around. He didn’t notice how much he squinted until now. She has a piece of paper in her hands, and she looks like she is looking for something. He greets her, getting her attention. She skips up to him, all smiles. She crosses her arms and tilts her head. 

“What’s up, Dean?” she asks.  
“Getting glasses,” he says.  
“That sounds like fun,” she chirps. “I need to pick up Dad’s glasses. He finally caved in and got some. Maybe he won’t sit so close to the TV now.”

Dean shrugs. He doesn’t want to say anything bad about her parents. They have always been a bit out there for him. He knows that she has an almost functional relationship with them. Dean can barely go a day without butting heads with his pop.

Rox follows after him to the office and hands the slip of paper to the woman receptionist. The woman heads into the back and Dean sits back at the table. He sees her approach from the corner of her eye. She takes all the ones in front of him away without a word. Before he can say a word, she puts a wide selection in front of him. He inspects the frames in front of him.

They are all round in shape and different vibrant colours. Greens, browns and a single pair of purple frames sit in front of him now. Dean is drawn to the purple ones. The other frames are more simplistic than the purple ones. He picks them up, feeling the cold metal in his hands. They are lightweight and have some sort of vine like design engraved into them.

Dean puts them on and looks at himself in the mirror. And he smiles. These ones actually look alright. He looks over and sees Rox smiling at him. A small bag is in her hand, her dad’s glasses no doubt. Dean takes the purple frames off. He calls the optometrist over and shows him the frames he wants for his glasses. The man shrugs and writes something down on an official looking stack of paper. Handing it to the receptionist, he tells Dean they will be ready in within a week.

Dean walks over to Rox and she looks proud of herself. Looking at the clock on the wall, it’s time for lunch. They walk to the dining hall, Dean in a better mood now that he has his glasses sorted. He spots Mr. White and Billy sitting at a table. Rox skips over to her parents’ and hands the bag to Mr. White. Dean can see him mutter something and Rox heads back to Dean’s side. They grab their lunch and sit at a table far from her parents.

 

“Dad wants to be left alone,” she explains. “He’s still self conscious about needing them. He’ll get used to them, I hope.”

 

Dean nods. He hopes he will adjust to his glasses soon enough. It will be nice to be able to see clearly again. They talk about some of the interesting things they have seen in the colony. Dean hasn’t been around as long as Rox, so he mostly listens to her stories. He sees the janitor smirking at them. Both of their cheeks flush red at what she must be thinking. They get up and place their dishes at the dish washing station and quickly leave. 

 

They make their way to one of the open “Entertainment Centers.” For a top secret government run facility hidden on Mars, the colony reminds him of the compound quite a lot. Before it burned down, of course. It’s kind of strange, once he thinks about it. It’s probably just a coincidence. Dean secretly hopes there is a mystery for him to investigate.

It would make time fly quicker, at least.  
Dean looks around the room, squinting his eyes. He can see his brother playing some dancing game. With a girl?! He taps Rox on the shoulder and points at Hank dancing. She looks over, tilting her head cutely. He mentally shakes his head. No need to weird her out by declaring her cute.

She grabs his arm and drags him over to his brother. Dean was worried about interrupting, but the girl greets him and Rox heartily. It’s Sirena! He didn’t think he’d see her here. Hank giggles, hugging her close. It seems that her dad has some “Secret Science Ties” and sent her off to Mars to get her away from Hank. 

Dean declines the offer to join them in their dancing game. He sits back with Rox and keeps an eye on his brother. He may be the “older” twin, but Dean has always been the more mature twin. But sitting in silence watching his brother catching up with Sirena is too awkward. He turns to Rox and says the first thing that comes to mind.

“Is it weird having your parents dating?” he asks.  
“Hmmm?” she says. “It’s actually kind of nice. They don’t fight as much and they seem more at ease.”  
“I guess after hiding for so long,” Dean says. “It must feel kind of good to be open about who you care about.”   
“Yeah,” Rox says, a note of wistfulness in her voice.

She turns and smiles at him. Dean notices the smile doesn’t reach her eyes and looks fake. Her reaction is not what he expected. Shouldn’t she be happy that her parents are happy? It makes no sense to him. 

They sit in awkward silence until Dean sees his pop walk in. Rusty sees Dean and waves him over. Dean gets up and Rox follows behind. He can see Rusty rolling his eyes at Hank’s dancing. Rusty doesn’t say anything, letting Hank enjoy time with his girlfriend.

Dean realizes Rox is right behind him. Having somebody stand that close should make Dean uncomfortable. But it feels natural having Rox that close. Rusty raises an eyebrow at Rox and she steps back. A peculiar feeling washes over him when she moves away from him. The feeling passes and he turns his attention to his father. He looks excited about something. This is going to be interesting. Crossing his arms, he waits for Rusty to gather his thoughts and talk.

“Dean,” Rusty starts. “We have made a major breakthrough in solving the cause of the mutations. If we can get a few samples of the rocks affected, we can find a way to fix it.”  
“Okay,” Dean says. “Why are you telling me this?” 

“I volunteered you and I to help them gather samples,” he says.  
“What?” Dean says.  
“It’s important research Dean,” Rusty pleads.  
“Why don’t you ask Hank?” Dean asks.

Rusty gestures at Hank who has just fallen over. He and Sirena are on the ground giggling. Dean hates to admit it, but their pop does have a point. Hank has never been serious about anything but Batman. And the sooner they solve this problem, the sooner they can get back home. Against his better judgment, he agreed to tag along. The expedition will take place in a week after training. Pop wandered off, happy to see that Dean is “coming around”. Brittany left shortly afterwards. Dean looks around the room and sees that Rox already left. Looking at the clock, he sees it’s time for dinner. He and Hank head to the dining hall.

Dean tried to hang out with Hank, but all he wanted to talk about was how great having Sirena is. Dean kept looking over at Rox sitting with her parents during dinner. They were talking about something funny, if Rox’s open laughter is anything to go by. Looking back at Hank, Dean realizes that Hank is too absorbed in talking about Sirena. Dean sees Sirena enter the dining hall and excuses himself. Hank barely notices Dean leaving.

Dean takes his tray and asks to sit with Rox, Mr. White and Dr. Billy. They nod and he places his tray on the table. He sits next to Rox, smiling at her. He listens as Mr. White and Dr. Billy debate the best Price is Right host. Rox is more interested in her plate then their discussion, something he doesn’t blame her for. Rox has always had a hearty appetite. Must be a cat thing. Or maybe it’s just a Rox thing.

Dean finds himself engaged in their discussion and even started to join in when his pop came by. It seems an important development was made and it concerns them both. Dean bids goodbye and follows his pop. They walk into the plain white lab and see a group of scientists gathered around a table. Dean leans on his toes and can just make out what looks like a severed hand sitting on the table. It’s a grey orange colour and is leaking green blue blood into the dish it is laying in.

One of the scientist’s sees their curious stares and breaks apart from the group. He is smiling excitedly at them. Dean notes his dark black hair that is pulled back in a pony tail is decorated with what looks like beads or jewels. If he had his glasses, he would be able to tell for sure. The man brushes a loose bang back, revealing large grey blue eyes. Dean squints and sees a name tag reading Rodriguez. Dean realizes this must be Brittany’s father. He keeps a close eye on the man. He looks oddly familiar.

“Dr. Venture, just the man I wanted to see,” he says. “One of our junior scientist’s was out collecting more data on the wild sand beasts. He stumbled upon this and brought it back.”

He waves at the hand on the table. Pop does not look impressed. He looks more disturbed than anything. Dean waits for Dr. Rodriguez to explain more. It seems one of the Martians must have lost it to one of the beasts roaming Mars. It is intact and was only mildly damaged by the sand beasts. The hand was riddled with scars, many still fresh. What was interesting was the surgical precision of the scars. They looked like they were made with a scalpel. They aren’t certain what they can learn from the hand, but it is an amazing find nonetheless. They might be able to replicate the blood and find a way to reverse the radiation’s effects.

Dean leaves as his pop goes to study the hand. Dean isn’t experienced enough to be much help, so it’s best he stays out of the way. He heads back to the cafeteria and sees that Rox and her parents have already left. He doesn’t want to endure Hank and Brittany, so he heads back home. HELPeR is helping Hatred with something loud in Hatred’s room. Dean doesn’t wish to investigate further, so he goes to his room.

On his bed is Rox, curled up in a cuddly ball. He can hear her breathing slow and knows she is asleep. Dean looks around, seeing if it is a trick. A cute girl, asleep in his bed. It has to be a joke by his brother. He approaches, trying to be quiet and steps on a tack. The tack goes straight through his thin soled shoes. He yelps in pain, grabbing his foot. Rox’s ears instantly perk up. She looks at him, eyes wide.

Dean pulls the tack from his foot and places it on the desk. Checking his foot, he isn’t bleeding or anything. He rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. He clears his throat, trying to get down to business. Rox slides off his bed and stands in front of him. She looks at him nervously before grabbing something from her pocket. He tilts his head. A communicator watch?

“You forgot it at dinner,” she says. “I was waiting for you to get back, and sort of fell asleep. Sorry.”

She looks away, holding his watch out for him to grab it. Dean reaches to grab it. His fingers brush against hers. The soft fur coating her hands sharply contrasts against the smooth pads of her hands. He is curious how functional her hands are, considering she is half cat. She has thumbs and seems rather dexterous, so they appear pretty functional. He wonders if her hands ever get itchy, with all that fur. His hands get itchy and he doesn’t even have fur.

Dean remembers a cat that used to hang around the compound. It must have had fleas or something because it was always scratching. He petted it once and it was super soft. Not as soft as Rox’s fur, but close. He doesn’t know what happened to that cat. It must have died years ago. Maybe Ben took it in and took care of it.

Rox clears her throat and Dean realizes he was still holding her fingers. He releases her hand. She mutters an awkward goodbye and leaves. Dean puts the watch on his desk and throws himself onto his bed. Smooth move, Venture. Way to be weird to the one friend you have on this colony. Dean doesn’t remember falling asleep. All he remembers is dreams about hands as soft as silk.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean finds out there is more to the colony then what meets the eyes.

Dean feels a little weird getting into the space suit the next day. It isn’t getting into the suit, that is something he is used to. Gargantua 2 isn’t the first time he had to don a suit, so it wasn’t that. It was something more, something he couldn’t put into words. He wasn’t the only one.

Rox looks worried while the group gets prepped. Like she wanted to tell them something important but couldn’t in front of everybody running around. The group of scientists they are helping are in high spirits so Dean keeps his worries to himself.

The scientist in charge warns him that there are native Martians in the area they are heading to today. They are possibly hostile to scientists. They weren’t always so. That is actually part of why they are trying to study the land as much as they can. Nobody understands why some attack and some don’t. But it’s best to avoid them as much as possible until the problems are resolved.

Dean fidgets with his goggles as final preparations are made to go outside the colony’s safe zone. Rox waves goodbye to him. She blows him a kiss and leaves with bright red cheeks. Dean can tell his are turning red too. Pop raises an eyebrow at him before turning back to his conversation with one of the fellow scientists. They head out of the colony and Dean is taken back.

The land is more brown and rocky then he thought it would be. The group go their separate ways and start gathering samples. He spots a glowing red rock and he picks it up. It feels heavy for it’s size and feels almost cold through his gloves, although it’s glowing so bright. It seems interesting enough. He puts it in the radiation proof pouch he was given to collect samples in. The rock takes up almost all of the space in the pouch. Looking around, he gets the feeling of somebody watching them. He turns to face his pop.

“Pop, you sure this is a good idea?” Dean asks. “Being outside of the colony without weapons sounds kind of stupid.”   
“Dean, you worry too much,” Rusty says. “We’ll be fine.”

A loud bloodthirsty roar rips through the air. A crowd of people appear, only they clearly aren’t people. Their eyes are shiny like polished silver and Dean can see that they have too many limbs to be fellow colonists. These must be the hostile natives they were warned about. 

A large boomerang tears through the air, lodging itself into the throat of a nearby scientist. The dark haired man crumbles to the ground, blood pooling underneath him. A faint gurgling is heard as he crumples to the ground. Nobody in the group needs convincing to flee.

Dean would usually roll his eyes and say “I told you so” to his dad at the situation. But they are too busy running from the Martian horde for such trivialities. The sound of metal striking rock rings in their ears. Dean and his dad take cover in a small cave. Ducking underneath the enclave, Dean regrets coming to this forsaken red planet as he feels his lungs burn. 

The sound of a laser cuts through the air. The smell of burning flesh fills the air, as does the sound of inhuman screeching. Looking out of the cave, Dean can see the Martians retreating. A figure in a large untarnished orange suit sitting in a large rover appears to be the cause. The figure gestures towards them and they dash to the safety of the rover. Rusty is pulled into the passenger side of the vehicle by the figure. Dean follows after and topples into the back seat of the rover.

They head back to the colony, loud gasping from the winded duo. Grateful to be alive, Dean grasps the pouch with the rock tightly. Out of the group that was exploring the planet, only Rusty and Dean survived. The only sample able to be taken back is the one currently on Dean’s person. 

The orange clad person parks the rover on a far side of the colony that Dean has yet to have seen. The figure types in a code and lets them back into the colony. Safely back inside, Dean takes off the protective helmet, grateful to be free of the fogged up visor thing. Rusty follows suit, taking a long deep breath. Rusty puts the helmet under his arm, offering his other hand to the person.

“Thanks for saving us,” Rusty says. “We owe you one.”  
“Not a problem, Rusty,” the person says, his voice familiar.   
Taking off his helmet, Rusty and Dean both stare. Standing in front of them is none other then Jonas Venture Senior, alive and well. A faint dusting of grey colours his temples. Besides that, he hasn’t changed one bit from when Rusty saw him last.

“Papa?” Rusty asks.   
“It is, Rusty.” he says. “I’ve been up here, colonizing Mars for the last twenty years. Sorry I couldn’t tell you I was still alive, but it had to be top secret. Even from family. I hope you understand.“

Rusty drops his helmet and throws himself into his father’s arms, crying instantly. Jonas comforts Rusty as Dean narrows his eyes. Something about this just doesn’t sit right with him. But he doesn’t know what. But being in the same room as his grandfather is probably not going to help him figure out why.

He grabs his father’s dropped helmet and offers to put them away while the two catch up. Jonas declares it a wonderful idea and hands Dean his helmet. Dean notices a scar on Jonas’ hand, angry and deep. Dean leaves the two to catch up on all they’ve missed, smiling until he is out of sight. His signature frown returns. He makes his way to the storage lockers with the equipment. He kicks off the suit and puts the helmets on the shelf in the room.

He heads off to the lab to drop off the rock they found. His eyes are fixed on the floor, trying to puzzle out HOW to feel about finding out his grandfather is not dead. If that is the same man, of course. This wouldn’t be the first time they have run into impersonators of Jonas Sr. None this good, however.

Not looking where he is going, he runs into somebody. They yelp in surprise and almost fall over. He helps steady the person, not realizing who it is at first. He realizes how soft the arm is and sees that he bumped into Roxanne, of all people. She looks at him with a curious look. He blushes as he releases her arm.

"What’s up Dean?” Rox asks. “You look mad.”  
“I just found out my grandfather isn’t dead,” he says.  
Her blue grey eyes dart away from him. That’s odd. She looked almost guilty of something. The same look she had before they went out. He puts together the two, but knows he needs to ask her.  
“Did you know?” Dean asks.

Rox nods shortly, looking away. She pushes past him, running away. He sighs, feeling deflated. He doesn’t know what is going on anymore. He goes into the lab that was his initial destination and finds the one in charge. He hands him the rock, pouch and all. The scientist beams at the pouch, the sample well wrapped still.

Dean informs the head scientist of the casualties. He keeps the report brief and leaves the lab. Not having anywhere else to go, he goes back home. Looking around, he sees that he is the only one there. Besides HELPeR, of course. But he is charging in the corner, so he might as well not be there. Hatred is probably off training while Hank is hanging out with Sirena. 

Dean walks into his room and closes the door behind him. He is startled to see Rox sitting on his bed. Hands wrapped around her sides, she looks up at him. Her eyes are wide and shiny like she is trying not to cry. A faint streaking of tears tells him it’s failing miserably for the cat girl. 

He can see her chest flutter as she takes in short scared breathes and he feels panic grip him. Something must have happened while he was out. He goes to her side, pulling a handkerchief from his desk and handing it to her. She takes it, toying with it as she speaks. Her voice cracks a few times.

“I wanted to tell you that your grandfather was still alive,” she says. “ I really did. But he made me promise not to tell you. Dr. Jonas said it was for security reasons. I can understand if you are mad at me.”

He blinks in surprise. That is what has her so upset? But…why? He rubs her back. He feels awkward trying to comfort her but her cries soften. It appears to be working.

“I’m not mad at you Rox,” Dean says. “I understand why you couldn’t tell me,”  
“Really?” she sniffles.

“Of course,” he says. Looking at the clock in his room, he is alarmed at how late it is. “You should head back. Your parents must be worried sick for you.”

 

Looking at the clock, she agrees. The exact opposite of his dad, they care for her well being and try and not drag her into these kind of adventures. Dean is a bit envious of her fo that. Picking herself up from his bed, she hands back the handkerchief. She heads out of his room, and he feels disappointed she couldn’t stay longer. She waves goodbye, smiling softly. He feels his cheeks flush but dismisses it. Dean looks on his desk and sees his glasses have arrived. Jonas’ handiwork, he is sure.

He puts the handkerchief into the laundry hamper before slipping his new glasses on. He scowls, looking around the room. The room is much messier then he thought it was. His vision was way worse than he thought. 

Dean knows he should get to straighten his room. Before he has a chance to, his dad walks into his room. The look on his dad’s face is grim. Discovering somebody you thought was dead for years isn’t would give anybody that look. Dean knows he would be pretty sore if his dad pretended to be dead for twenty years only to show up to save him. Dean waits for him to start talking.

“Did you drop that rock off?” Rusty asks.  
“Yeah,” Dean says. “It should help their research into the source of the radiation.”

Rusty nods. Neither of them are comfortable talking about the lost scientists right now. Rusty sits on the edge of Dean’s bed. He keeps a careful distance away from Dean. He sighs heavily, pinching his brow between his thumb and pointer fingers. Dean slides closer to his dad and he reaches out, placing his hand on Rusty’s back. He smiles gratefully at Dean. He doesn’t say anything about his glasses, much to Dean’s surprise.

“I don’t expect you to understand, Dean,” Rusty says.

The potential fatherly moment is interrupted by the door ringing. They ignore it, but can’t ignore the excited beeping of HELPeR . They go and see what is exciting the robot so much. Maybe Jonas Sr. came to visit? They look in the living room and Rusty groans. There in the robot’s claws is a young sand beast. It is smattered in dark spots and has green gold eyes. There is a tag around it’s neck. HELPeR is talking so fast Dean can barely keep up. Rusty takes charge and steps right in front of the blue robot.

“You are not keeping it,” Rusty said. “We don’t even know if it can survive on Earth.”  
HELPeR lets out a string of mournful beeps. He presents the fluffy kitten to Rusty. The beast’s tongue falls out of it’s mouth. Dean thinks it’s kind of cute that HELPeR wants a kitten. Especially since the kitten seems to be attached to HELPeR already.   
“No, HELPeR,” Rusty states, crossing his arms.

HELPeR doesn’t let the matter drop. HELPeR keeps beeping, holding the kitten close. Hatred comes out of his room to check out the commotion and comes to HELPeR’s defense. Rusty looks at Dean for support. He shrugs, smirking. If HELPeR wants a pet, he doesn’t mind. Rusty throws his arms in defeat.  
“Fine, you can keep the damn thing,” Rusty proclaims. “First time it causes trouble is the last time, you hear?”

HELPeR bleeps excitedly and hugs Rusty before zooming off to set up an area for the kitten. Rusty shakes his head, bemused. He’ll deny it, but Dean knows he likes seeing HELPeR happy. Dean goes to help the robot with the kitten. It’s better than dealing with his pop right now. He is that weird kind of moody right now. 

Thankfully, the person who left the kitten at their door signed the paper around it’s neck. One of Hank’s friends, they find her with no trouble. Dean called Hank on his phone, and he said that HELPeR can take care of the kit if he wants to. After telling them it’s a boy kit, she gives them a bag of food, a leash, a plain green collar, and other things to help with the kit’s upkeep. They head back and set up a place for the kit in HELPeR’s closet. HELPeR writes Sprinkles in block letters on the dishes.

The kit is settled and HELPeR is beeping happily as the kit plays with a random piece of string. Pop and Hatred leave to the dining hall, leaving him alone except for HELPeR and Sprinkles. Dean goes back to his bedroom and sees a glimmer of pink on his bed. He sees it is Rox’s communicator watch. She must have forgotten it while waiting for him. He sticks it in his pocket and heads to her place.

He knocks on the door and hears crashing before the door opens. Dr. Billy’s hair is mussed up and his eye patch is slightly eschew. His shirt has been hastily buttoned and Dean knows he is interrupting. He hands the pink watch to Billy and leaves, cheeks flushing red without a word. Dean rushes back home, embarrassed at catching Dr. Billy in a compromising position. Rox probably wasn’t even there. He isn’t sure where she would go in the colony, but he is sure she has found somewhere to have fun.

Something blurs past Dean the minute he opens the door. Looking inside, Dean groans. That did not take long at all. The glass table in the living room is smashed. The TV is blaring some infomercial about never flat soda tops. The remote sits in the wreckage of the table. A certain sand beast must have been playing with the remote under the table when he turned the TV on. Looking outside the hall, he sees the culprit didn’t get too far.

Sprinkles wags his tail, unfazed by his wounds. Shards of glass pepper the sand beast. Some pieces managed to cut the beast, revealing eerie green blood. The blood glows a dark green against his fur. Dean goes to touch a glowing splotch of blood when he hears a high pitched yowl. He turns away from Sprinkles and sees Rox standing outside her place.

“Don’t touch his blood,” she says. “It’s a potent neurotoxin!”

Dean pulls away from the beast. Sprinkles looks at him with mournful eyes. Rox pops back into her place, a finger held up before the door closes. He keeps an eye on the injured beast licking his paw. Rox comes back out with gloves and a stained towel. She has thick yellow gloves on and she hands him the pair she was holding. She starts picking out the small pieces of glass from Sprinkle’s fur. Dean puts on the thick gloves and helps her clean the wounded sand beast. They lay the broken shards of glass on the tarnished towel.

Rox brushes her gloved hand through his fur, making sure they got the glass out. She wraps the towel up and hands it to Dean to throw away. Rox drags the messy sand beast into the bathroom and rinses his fur. The damage contained until his pop returns, Dean lays on the couch. Dean made sure to call up the living supervisor to ask for a new table, which they gladly will supply if they are willing to pick it up. 

HELPeR dashes off to get the replacement. The kit is sleeping on it’s bed in HELPeR’s closet. Rox yanks her gloves off and tosses them aside. He tosses his on top of hers as she sits next to him on the couch. Something about what she said has been bothering him. He turns to look at Rox and she tilts her head.

“Is it even possible for blood to be a neurotoxin?” he asks.  
“Well,” she starts. “It’s more of there is a protein in their blood that acts like a neurotoxin..”  
“How do you know so much about the sand beasts?” he asks.  
“I’ve been reading up on them since I got here,” she states. “Not like there is a lot to do around here anyway.”

Dean nods in agreement. He’s been bored since he’s gotten here. He looks at his hands and notices he doesn’t have any cuts or scrapes on them. Looking back at Rox, he sees her fiddling with the remote, trying to figure out how to turn it on. He scoots up the couch, sitting taller then Rox. She figures out the remote and turns the TV to a generic feel good cartoon. She looks over at him and tilts her head. She hands him the remote. He puts it on the arm of the couch, fine with what she turned it on.

“Rox,” he says. “A neurotoxin has to be able to enter the blood to work. I don’t have any cuts on my hands.”  
“Well,” Rox says. “Their blood also stains anything it touches and I didn’t think you wanted green fingers for a week. I didn’t know what else to say to stop you from touching him. I kind of just reacted. I only popped out to thank you for finding my watch.”  
“Oh yeah,” he says. “You forgot it on my bed.”

Rox nods, thankful to have her watch back. Dean knows she is rather attached to it. His pop made it for her birthday last year. He helped teach her how to use the watch and Rox was a good student. He bets she knows how to do more things on that watch then Hank or Hatred can. He taught her how to leave and check messages, how to program her name and how to play Tetris. 

Rox tucks her feet underneath herself and turns to watch the cartoons. Dean stretches into a yawn and wraps his arm around her. She starts a little but relaxes and nestles under his arm. Dean has always wanted to do that thing, but he never thought it would work. The stretch and reach thing.

It feels nice having Rox so close. Her shoulder is covered in soft cream coloured fur and he resists the urge to pet her. Dean didn’t want to make things weird. She did blow him a kiss before the mission. Maybe Dermott wasn’t lying when he said Rox had a crush on him. Dean thought Dermott was trying to cheer him up. It was after the whole Dunwitch thing happened, so he wasn’t in the mood for Dermott. Looking at the curled cat girl under his arm, he feels a strange warmth. 

He doesn’t have time to sort the feeling out because Hank bursts in. Hank is giggling and is holding Sirena’s hand. Hank sees the two of them sitting on the couch and lets go of Sirena’s hand. Rox scoots from underneath Dean’s arm. Hank mentions his Batman collection and how Sirena wants to see it. Dean waves him off and Hank smiles at Dean before going into his room with Sirena.

Rox is busy with her watch, a scowl on her face. After some fruitless typing, she gives up. She sighs and lays back on the couch. Dean figures it has to do with her parents. Besides him and Hank, they are the only other people on her watch phone. She flat out refused to let Dermott know “her number”. He doesn’t know if Dr. O has her number, but he finds it doubtful. 

He always gets a weird look whenever somebody mentions Rox around him. He doesn’t know what his problem is with Rox, but it’s probably something ridiculous. The whole scientific creation thing always got him worked up. Dean smirks, thinking about how Dr. Orpheus would respond to him and Hank being clones. He’d probably flip out. Even more then when Al and those guys made those zombies. 

He was busy with Ben at the time so he only heard it all second hand. He doesn’t know what happened to Ben, but he hasn’t heard from him since. And he can’t recall seeing him after the compound burned down. He hopes he is okay. Dean realizes that Rox is waiting for him to answer her. He didn’t even know she asked him anything. He clears his throat.

“What?” he asks.  
“I said,” she says with the patience of a saint. “Would your dad mind if I crashed on your couch? I’d rather not listen to my parents tonight, if you catch my drift.”   
“I don’t think he would mind,” Dean says.

Her eyes light up gratefully. She pops up from the couch and leaves long enough to grab a nightgown and some other things she requires. SIrena heads home and Hank turns in for the night while Dean waits for Rox to return. He calls his pop and gets the go ahead and her parents are fine with her staying as well. They do stipulate she is not allowed to leave his side, which caused them both to roll their eyes. They both know it’s because they don’t trust Sergeant Hatred even with his medication.

Dean leads her to his room and grabs the pile of laundry on the floor and tosses it into the hamper. She puts her blanket and plush rabbit/bear down. She fluffs her pillow before tossing it onto the ground in his bedroom. She heads into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. She comes out of the bathroom with her clothes folded over her arm. The pale rose gown ends just past her knees. She holds up the end uncertainly.

“This is fine, right?” she asks. “I can grab a longer one if you would rather.”  
“It looks fine to me,” he says. “I think pop is going to be more concerned about Hank having a girl in his room then how long your night gown is.”

She nods and puts her clothes on the desk. She steps out of the room so he can get dressed into his pajamas. He gets out of the shirt and pants and pull on a crisp tank top and plain coloured bottoms. He calls to Rox to let her know he is dressed and she comes back in. He crawls under his covers, exhausted from the day. He puts his glasses in his case as Rox clicks off the light. He can hear her settle into her sleeping spot. He rolls over, closing his eyes.

“Night Dean,” Rox whispers.   
“Good night Rox,” Dean yawns.   
Dean hears Rox gently breathing on the floor. It’s strange to have a girl in his room. Course, Rox has stayed over in his room before so it’s not like he hasn’t had her in his room before. Just something about this time seems different somehow. He can’t figure out why though.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so continues our hero’s adventure on Mars. If Dean gets to count as a hero. The mystery only grows for Dean. And maybe other things as well?

Dean is awakened by the sounds of Hank singing. It’s something Batman themed, no doubt. Dean feels something soft and warm under his arm. Like a blanket fresh from the dryer only lumpier. And more rumbly. Like a….cat? He opens his eyes and realizes he was cuddling Rox. He scoots away, carefully removing his arm. 

Looking around his room, he sees that his blanket is hanging off the side of his bed, barely hanging on. Closing his eyes, he must have rolled out of bed and ended up curled around Rox. That makes sense, but how did he end up underneath her blanket? Rox stirs and turns to look at him with sleep clouded eyes and smiles softly.

“You fell out of bed and I didn’t want you to get cold,” she states. “You were a perfect gentleman so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Dean face palms, cheeks turning bright red. Rox gets up and stretches. She helps Dean up and hands him his glasses. As Dean is straightening his glasses, in barges his grandfather. Rox hides behind Dean, whispering a weak Good morning to his grandfather. He crosses his arms and looks at her with a disapproving look. 

“That nightgown is inappropriate, Roxanne,” he states. “You should know better then to wear something so revealing.”

She tugs on the edge of the night gown, trying to make it look longer. Dean looks at the gown in disbelief. What is so inappropriate about it? It has some frilly lace around the neck, but it covers everything that needs to be covered and flows around her knees. Jonas announces that Hank has made everybody pancakes. They get dressed quickly, Rox silent. 

Rox sits next to Dean at the new table HELPeR brought in.He must have slipped it in while they slept. He can hear Sprinkles devouring his food in the closet, loud wet noises coming from his area. Rox keeps her eyes on the table and Dean inspects it closer. 

It’s a solid wood table. Mahogany maybe? He notices Rox picking at her pancakes. Like she is afraid of offending somebody if she eats even a little unlady like. He can feel her tail whipping back and forth under her chair. Her tail keeps brushing against his leg and he chooses to remain quiet about it as he eats his pancakes.

The breakfast seemed to be going without a hitch until Jonas Sr. finished his plate. He places his utensils on his plate in a crossed fashion. He folds his hands together and looks over at Rusty, a look of concerned disapproval on his face. Rusty puts his fork down.

“What’s up, dad?” Rusty asks.  
“Son, I was wondering,” Jonas starts. “What Dean’s pet doing without a collar?”

Dean drops his fork, not believing what he heard. Rox’s eyes go straight to her plate. Tears prick at her blue grey eyes. He can see out of the corner of his eye grab her tail and place it in her lap. Rusty looks at Rox curiously before turning to look back at Jonas.

“His pet?” Rusty asks, confused. “Rox isn’t his pet. She is Billy and White’s adopted daughter.”  
“Huh, that’s funny,” Jonas says. “She was sleeping on his floor like she was his pet. He was cuddled up to her like she was his pet. What was I supposed to think?”

Dean clenches his hands into fists. Rox gets up from her chair and leaves, pancakes barely touched. Dean saw the flash of tears falling as she left. He hears the front door slam shut. He goes to his room and gathers up the things she forgot in his room.

He can hear his pop and grandfather calling him back to the table, but he ignores them. He has more important things to do than pancakes. Dean goes straight to her place and finds out she isn’t there. Nobody appears to be awake, so he sneaks into her room. He drops off her blanket and stuffed bear rabbit in her room.

He runs into Billy getting his morning coffee on his way out. He manages to come up with a believable excuse for why she didn’t drop them off herself. It’s obvious Billy didn’t buy it completely, but he didn’t argue with him. Unfortunately, he forgot his watch so he can’t just call her. Furrowing his brow, he thinks about where she would go that isn’t her parents.

Looking at a man walking a greying sand beast, Dean knows exactly where she would go. She mentioned a research lab for the sand beasts that let her come in whenever he wanted. That is where he believes she would go. He just needs to figure out how to get there. He spots a man walking the old sand beast from earlier. Dean goes and gets directions from the kindly older man and heads in the right direction.

Dean finds Rox in the pen of sand beasts. She has a group of kits on her lap and she is petting them as they wiggle around. Dean steps over the fence and sits across from her. She looks up and looks back at the kits in the pen. One of the kits goes over and sniffs his shoe before getting pounced on by another one. The kit goes back to playing with the other sand beasts.

“I’m sorry for what my grandpa said,” Dean says.  
“Don’t worry about it,” Rox says. “He does that a lot.”

Dean looks over at Rox, concerned. She sounds so defeated by his grandfather’s casual cruelty. How long has that been going on? He tries shooing off a cream coloured kit, but his efforts are for naught. He lets the kit chew on his shoelaces while he tries to find a way to console Rox. She is smiling and cooing at the mischievous kits, but her eyes are still so sad. A glimmer of silver catches his eye. 

Dean sees the silver chain her parents got her for her birthday a couple years ago. A worn knot of blue thread holds it together. Dean remembers Hank borrowing it one for his Shallow Gravy outfit. He got it caught on the microphone and it snapped. Hank fixed it with a few loose threads from his ascot. 

It was almost good as new and Rox didn’t seem too upset by it. She almost seemed pleased that he repaired it so well for her. And the blue of the thread does go with the blue of her eyes. Dr. Billy did shoot Hank the occasional sour look after he found out, but he never said a word. Both her parents were always very protective of her.

“Why don’t you just tell your parents?” he asks.  
“Because then they will want to leave,” she states. “And they are happy here. Nobody looks at them weird and St. Cloud isn’t able to bother them. I can deal with some name calling.”

Rox looks at the kit with renewed resolve. She still looks upset about this morning’s events. She stands up, the kit on her lap rejoining the pile with a confused squawk. She offers her hand to Dean and pulls him up. Brushing his hands on his pants, he looks at Rox. He remembers that Rox wanted to see a movie they are playing today. It’s not his style of movie, but it should help make up for his grandfather’s behavior this morning. Looking at the clock on the wall, it should be starting soon.

“Hey Rox,” Dean says. “Want to see that movie they are playing today?”

Her ears perk up and she nods. She links her arm with his and they walk to the center in question. He can’t help but smile at her silliness. The theater area is filling but they managed to find a pair of seats. Looking around the room, he sees no familiar faces and relaxes. A movie worker offers them a bucket of popcorn and they accept it. The lights dim and the movie starts up.

Dean did his best not to flinch or jump through out the movie. It was way more violent than he thought a musical could be. He couldn’t help cover his eyes every time a new victim was disposed of. Rox remained perfectly calm. She even hummed along with a few of the songs. Dean breathes a sigh of relief when the movie ends. They wait for the room to empty before getting up from their seats.

Rox goes and helps clean up the room for the next movie. Dean decides to help her clean the spilled popcorn and treats with the assistant. The larger things removed, Dean finds a mop and mops the tiles clean of the sticky spilled soda. The worker thanks them for the assist and they leave. They don’t have a set destination and lunch isn’t for another two hours so they walk around the colony. They happen upon his pop arguing with her dad. Rox bounds ahead of him and he tries to keep up with her. She steps between the two, holding them apart.

“What is going on?” she asks.

Dean stands in front of his pop, helping keep the two adults apart. Dean can hear Mr. White whispering to Rox. She nods every now and again, looking over at his pop a couple times. She says something in Italian to her dad and steps away from her dad. He keeps forgetting Roxy and Mr. White took Italian lessons online and got pretty good at it before Mr. White lost interest.

“Uncle Rusty,” she says. “Just because Dad is full of stupid ideas doesn’t mean you can call him that.“

Pop’s cheeks start to match his little remaining hair. Dean notes the almost sheepish look on his pop’s face now. He knows that his pop does not know how to keep his mouth shut. But what could he have said that got the usually aloof man at his throat?

"Pop,” Dean says. “What did you call him?”

He mutters something under his breath, too faint for Dean to hear. Rox’s ears flatten and he hears her growl. Dean repeats the question. Pop closes his eyes, and sighs. Rubbing his brow between two fingers, Dean is not letting him out of this one easily.

“I called him a faggot,” he blurts. “I said I was sorry.”  
“When?” Mr. White asks incredulously.  
“Just now?” he answers sheepishly.

Mr. White rolls his eyes and leaves. Rox says goodbye to Dean and follows her dad. Dean looks at pop in disbelief. Pop shrugs and walks off. Not having anything to do that day, he tags along with his pop as well. Might as well learn what his father is up to. 

Walking into the lab, he is greeted with a replica of the lab from the compound, only it’s tidy and looks up to date. Various beakers with clear labels line a table of stainless steel. Computers chirp as they analyze samples and data. Text books on genetics and Mars cover a wooden table.

Dean looks over at his pop, waiting for his explanation. He walks into a small office, Dean following him. He sits in the solitary lab chair. He fiddles with a pen for a moment before putting it back on the desk. Dean leans against the door frame.

“White was talking about this cartoon he watched,” he starts. “He asked why I couldn’t just combine the Martians with something gentle. I…told him not to be a stupid faggot. ”

Dean face palms and groans loudly. He doesn’t need to hear anymore to know why they started yelling. Mr. White got offended, pop tried to defend himself and made things worse. His pop looks embarrassed and Dean changes the topic to one of the books on genetics. Grateful for the change, his pop spent the next hour explaining some of the things he has been working on. Dean actually started to get interested.

The clock in the lab chirps and they both turn to look at the clock. They see it is time for lunch and head off. They continued their discussion on the finer points of genetic manipulation. Mostly his pop did the talking and Dean listened. Dean tries not to think about how or why his pop knows so much about what could go wrong with cloning.

Mr. White seems to be over their spat and joins them at lunch. He mentions Rox being busy helping Billy with some secret project, and pop snickers. Dean looks at him and he squints his eyes. He knows that look. That is the look pop gets before he springs a surprise on him. He shakes his head, and focuses on his lunch as Mr. White and pop talk. Dean doesn’t listen too closely, trying to figure out what could be the surprise.

Since it’s Rox and Dr. Billy, it can’t be too bad. Something geeky but from the heart, if he knows them as well as he does. He’s just glad Mr. White isn’t directly involved. Last birthday surprise that involved Mr. White the fire department had to be called. 

He’s not sure the fire department would be able to help up here. Mars is probably out of any department’s area. He smirks at the cynical joke. While he was cracking wise to himself, his grandfather made his presence known. He wraps a hand around Dean’s shoulder.

“Dean,” he starts. “Think you can help out your grandfather with a super special project?”

Dean looks at his grandfather. His pop is busy with Mr. White, so he might as well help. Maybe he can smooth things over with Roxx and his grandfather while he is at it. He follows his grandfather to his lab as he explains what he needs. All he needs Dean to do is get him a few samples from outside the colony. The other scientists are busy, but since Dean knows the procedures so it should be a snap.

Sine the area Jonas needs him to go isn’t too far away from the colony, Dean agrees. Jonas gives him the list of samples he needs and helps him suit up. Jonas raises a thumb up to Dean as he heads out. Dean feels a little assured that his grandfather is so optimistic about him going out alone. He wouldn’t send his grandson into danger, right? 

Looking around outside the colony, Dean sees the exact things his grandfather asked for. He stoops down to gather some of the rocks and greenery into the bag attached to his suit. It’s a better bag than last time and can fit way more samples. He hears something growl behind him. Looking at the source of the wound, he freezes. 

Standing right behind him is a Martian. Dean flinches, accepting his fate. He creaks an eye open and sees the Martian tilting it’s head in confusion? The Martian isn’t going to kill him? Dean keeps his hand on the side arm his grandfather gave him. A simple taser, but it does the job. The alien raises it’s hands to him, showing him that it has no weapons on it’s person.

“Peace,” it says. “Jaal mean no harm. Friendly?”  
Dean gasps. The thick chalky voice throws him off. He didn’t know they could talk, let alone knew English. This is a rare opportunity for some kind of understanding to be reached between the races. Dean points at himself, placing his hand flat on his chest.

“Dean friendly,” he says slowly.

The alien’s gold eyes look less guarded and it relaxes. Dean recalls the last group of Martians he saw, they all had silver eyes. It must be important that Jaal has pure gold eyes. It’s hands lower to it’s side before crossing it’s bottom set of arms. It leans back and barks out what Dean thinks is a laugh. It shows grey teeth before getting down to business.

“Good,” Jaal says. “Not all the scientists are friendly to us. You don’t need to talk like a simpleton.”

Dean blinks in confusion. He puts his hands in his pockets. He can only manage a confused “What?” as a response. Not only do the Martians know English, but they seem to know it really well. Something doesn’t add up for Dean, but he can’t place his finger on it. Dean waits for Jaal to continue.

“I know you are confused, "Jaal states. "Some of the scientists’ are scared of us if we talk to them on their level. Talking like a simpleton makes them less likely to shoot first and ask later.”

Dean nods, still dumbfounded. He knows some of the scientists’ in the colony are a bit more prejudiced then others. He has overheard some of them talking about just wiping them all out. Course, an all out war on an entire race is never a good idea, especially one with the home court advantage. Most of the colonists realized cooperating with the Martians and keeping their mouth shut was better for everybody involved.

Dean looks at the Martian standing in front of him. A dark sand beast pelt is draped around his chest and legs. His tanned orange skin is heavily muscled, a massive scar a pale peach colour splotch his chest. Dean gets the distinct feeling that Jaal is not one to take lightly.

“I have been watching you for a while, Dean,” Jaal states. “You are not like the others. I believe you can help us as much as we can help you.”  
“How?” Dean asks.  
“You have been trying to find what is causing my people to go crazy,” Jaal says. “Without any ulteriors for helping us. We too are trying to find the source. If we work together, a solution can be found much faster then if we worked apart.”

Dean can’t find any problems with that logic. The sooner they find the solution, the sooner they can go back to their lives. Being on Mars isn’t too bad, but Dean would like to get back to Earth and his “real” life soon. He knows he won’t be able to reveal anything he has learned here, but he is used to that level of secrecy. Dean looks at his watch and sees he has a message.

“Excuse me Jaal,” Dean says. “ I have a message on my watch. Do you mind if I check it?”

Jaal nods, and Dean presses a button on his watch. Rox’s face appears on his watch. He can see Jaal look at his watch with curiosity. Dean ignores the Martian for now. He listens to Rox’s message. It seems his pop is asking when he will return and that he should get back soon before Pop sends somebody to get him. 

Dean rolls his eyes as the message ends. Pop clearly doesn’t know he isn’t in the colony right now. Jaal looks at him. The area above his featureless eyes is wrinkled and Dean takes it to be a look of confusion. Jaal points at the watch with his top left arm.

“You communicate with a speaking sand beast?” Jaal asks.  
“Rox isn’t a talking sand beast,” Dean says. “She is a hybrid of human and a cat. Cats are like smaller sand beasts.”

Jaal nods, Dean’s analogy fitting to the Martian. Dean and Jaal discuss a plan of action. They plan to meet the next day and discuss everything they know already about the source of the problem. It will make their investigation run smoother. Dean does not see where Jaal disappears, but he knows that they will be back. He heads back to the colony and drops off the samples to his grandfather.

Jonas is too excited to let Dean talk about what he saw. He explains the different samples that Dean collected. The green leaves have an antiseptic quality to them. The glowing orange rocks have materials in them only attack cancerous cells. If they can synthesize them into an easier to use form, the advances that could be made.

Dean is about to grab a black shard of glass when Jonas pushes his hand away. Jonas warns him to be careful with the shards of black green glass. The native Martians use it to hunt. It is highly toxic and causes countless health problems. Jonas hasn’t been able to test all the effects it has, but he hopes to find out all the effects. It is called Osmonite, named after the scientist who discovered it. 

Dean tires of his grandfather talking at him so he goes to find his pop. He finds him in his lab on the other side of the colony. He and Dr. Billy are standing over a beaker, gesturing excitedly at a beaker sitting on a table. The liquid is a strange amber colour. They stop when they see him approach. Dr. Billy leaves them alone. Dean looks at the beaker curiously.

Rusty waves him away, muttering about a cure for something unimportant but life changing. Something about baldness. He turns around and gives Dean his undivided attention. Dean tells him what happened to him that day. Rusty pushes his glasses up and nods in concern. Rusty calls Hank on his communicator watch to come into the lab.

While waiting for Hank to come to the lab, a different scientist comes in. He has a bored expression on his face. His lab coat is much longer then the other lab coats Dean has seen. Dark hair and dark eyes and dark skin. Nothing about the man stands out to Dean but the far too long coat. Hank comes into the lab. Dean makes no comment about the faint residue of lipstick on Hank’s lips. It’s clearly not Sirena’s colour. Dean decides not to say anything about Hank’s….choices. 

His pop says his name curtly. Dean looks over and is told he and Hank are to attend a lecture later that day. Hank groans and pop shushes him. As they are about to leave, the man with the long coat coughs loudly. They pause, wondering what he wants from them. They turn and Dean sees two cat ears peeking up from behind a desk. The man repeats his cough and Rox stands up, a sheepish grin on her face.

“Young lady,” he states. “You have not been to the lecture.”

She flinches, caught in the act. Dean looks at Rox incredulously. Rox skipping a class? That is unheard of. She never skipped class back on Earth. She brought back her text books so he could read them every once in a while. Most of the subjects seemed pretty boring but informative. He can’t imagine what her reason for skipping this lecture is.

“Today, you are going to the lecture,” he proclaimed. “No matter how boring you proclaim it to be.”

He pushes a notebook into each of their arms. Dean looks at the blue one he was handed and swaps it for the red one Hank has. On the cover is a reminder for the lecture which is in an hour. Rox grumbles under her breath and leaves the lab with them. She has the purple notebook under her arm. Rox still looks annoyed. Dean doesn’t think it could be as bad as she is acting like it is.  
“Why have you been ducking the lecture?” he asks.

“Cause it’s boring,” she declares. “I don’t want to know about the Martians. I want to know more about sand beasts.”

Hank snickers and Dean elbows him. Looking at the clock, Dean can’t think of anything they could do in an hour. Dean suggests they find the place where the lecture takes place. Rox leads them to the place, albeit grudgingly. Dean sees the room is set like a classroom on those high school shows he used to watch with Hank. 

Rows of brown tables with grey chairs lined up in front of the tables. A white glossy board has been mounted on the wall, a rainbow of markers in a cup on a desk in a corner. They pick their seats in the middle of the room. Rox mentions how they are probably the only ones there and should prepare for boredom. Dean knows that is more then likely the case. They are the newest people here and everybody else has been dragged to the lecture.

Rox goes up to the desk and grabs a pencil for each of them. She sits back in her chair and opens her notebook. She starts doodling, concentrated on her drawings. Dean sees that Hank is playing with a piece of fuzz on the desk in front of him. Not interesting at all to Dean. 

Watching Rox make rough drawings of sand beasts with detailed notes is more interesting. She is completely enthralled with her drawings. He didn’t know she could draw. She must have had lots of time to improve her drawing skills since she got here. She has almost gotten good from the looks of it.

The scientist with the long coat comes in, stepping quickly. Dean looks at the clock and sees an hour has indeed passed since they left pop’s lab. The man stands in front of the room and writes in blocky letters ‘MARTIANS’ on the board. He turns to face the three of them. Rox wasn’t wrong about there only being them in the lecture today.

The scientist starts his lecture and Dean tries to pay attention. The man in the long white lab coat just drones on and on and on about Martians. His tone doesn’t change from the dull drone and Dean finds it harder and harder to pay attention. He can hear Hank drifting off next to him. Rox is doodling in her note book, completely disinterested. Dean shakes his head at her doodles of sand beasts. 

Roxxy has really taken a shine to them and has been neglecting her studies. Guess she wasn’t kidding about not having any interest in exploring outside the colony. She is content with the beasts. The man in the front looks at the clock and harumphs. He makes a dissatisfied noise at Hank before leaving. Hank wakes up, looking around bewildered.

Dean smirks and looks at his notebook. He managed to take a lot of notes on what the lecturer was saying. Even when he found himself drifting of from the subject. Nodding, he closes the notebook and gets out of the seat. Hank stumbles after him. Rox gracefully slides out of her chair and tags along. Hank grumbles about how boring the lecture was and how he could have been doing something cool. Dean rolls his eyes as Rox practically glides next to him. She looks rather smug to him.

“Told you it was boring,” she states.

Hank and Dean mumble an agreement. She did warn them. But now they can do whatever they want. Hank ducks away and Dean doesn’t know why until he hears the low growl from Rox. He sighs in resignation as he sees his grandfather walking down the hall. Jonas sees him and grabs him, chatting excitedly about something he just realized. Dean tries to convince him he has no interest in his latest experiment.

“Come on Dean my boy,” Jonas says. “Aren’t you interested in super science?”  
“Not really,” Dean says. “I’m more curious about why I didn’t know any of this.”  
“Dean my boy,” Jonas says. “There are things that the general public just wouldn’t be able to understand. The government knows this. They work to make sure they feel safe and secure while us super scientists make sure they are safe. People still lose their minds when two men kiss, for god’s sake Dean. Imagine how they would react to their being actual life on another planet!”

“Actually, I was wondering why the punch cards were so out of date,” Dean says.   
“Oh,” Jonas says. “I guess those punch cards would be out of date by now. No matter. That can be fixed later. Not that you really need them now.”

Dean looks away from his grandfather. His grandfather really is just as crazy as Colonel Gentleman. He didn’t know it was possible. He resigns himself to his fate. He tries to listen as his grandfather prattles on about his experiments. Something about extracting specific things from plants and countering the effects of Osmonite. Dean wasn’t paying too much attention. He was more worried about what more Jonas is going to need from him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean learns more about the goings on on Mars as things between him and Rox develop.

Walking into his lab, Dean is worried about what pop needs him for. After his “easy” mission for his grandfather, he is going to be a bit more cautious. No more unnecessary risks for this Venture. 

Pop just wanted him to run a quick errand for him. It wasn’t anything dangerous or complicated. Pop just wanted him to drop off a parcel that was delivered to him by mistake. Dean just needs to deliver the parcel. What are the odds of their being another Thaddeus S. here? 

Pop happens to know where his lab is, which is also on the box. Dean knows exactly where the lab is. He didn’t know the sand beast specialist had the same name as his pop. It won’t be any issue to drop off the box to him. It’s light and smells kind of like cookies. Shaking it, it sounds like a tin is in the box. Dean shrugs and heads to the lab.

Dean sees the specialist tinkering at his lab table, muttering under his breath about something complicated. Dean coughs, catching his attention. The man gets off his chair and turns to face him. A long greying beard adorns his face, intense brown eyes buried in a sea of wrinkles. He sees the box and his face crinkles into a smile. He takes the box from Dean and opens it without a word. He pulls out a banged up red tin, Styrofoam peanuts falling off it.

The slight noise catches the attention of somebody in the sand beast pen. Rox comes out of the pen of sand beast kits and Dean can’t help but smile at the sight. She has a tiny kit tucked in her arms, it’s little tongue sticking out. 

The scientist sweeps the box in the trash and places the tin on the table. He peels it open and reveals the tin is full of butter cookies. He offers the two a few with a gesture, which they accept. They each take a couple from the tin. Rox hands the kit to Dr. Ventore-Fergusen. He takes the kit and goes to put it back in the pen, ignoring the two.

The duo leave the lab, nibbling the cookies. They are crunchy, even after their long trip here. Dean didn’t even know they could get things delivered up here. Must be a perk of working for top secret government things. He furrows his brow. Kind of weird to have a guy with a name so similar to his pop up here. Rox is humming, following him. 

“Hey Rox,” Dean says. “Isn’t it weird that there is another person with a name almost like pop’s up here?”  
“Oh,” Rox says. “I asked him about it. He said Jonas recruited him because of his name. He used to breed Persians or something back on Earth. Sand beasts are kind of like cats, so he doesn’t mind too much. Gets better funding here anyway.”

Dean nods in agreement. The government pays a lot for people to keep quiet, he knows that from experience. Easily more then a stuffy old lady with an obsession for cats. Dean looks around and sees they are outside of Mr. White’s lab. There is a small professional looking plaque stating as much. He doesn’t know what Mr. White would need a lab for. 

Rox is twitching her ear curiously, eyes darting to the plaque. Since Rox is with him, it’s not really snooping. Faint music can be heard from behind the door. He knocks on the lab door. He hears Mr. White proclaim it’s open and they enter. Music blasts from the room.

Dean is stunned. Loud bass vibrates everything in the room for a minute before White turns his music player off. He turns to see who is in his lab and seems relieved to see it’s them and not somebody with authority. Rox goes over to her dad and they start chatting about music. Dean can’t help but feel a little envious about the care free relationship of Rox and her dad. 

Dean looks around the lab and sees a wall of screens. Is Mr. White in charge of security? He sees a security badge hanging on the wall and sure enough, Mr. White’s name is on it. He notices there is a piece of construction paper covering a screen in the corner of the wall of cameras. It’s taped down on all sides and “TOP SECRET” is written on it.

“What’s behind this one?” Dean asks.  
“Eh?” White asks. “Oh, that one? I wouldn’t worry about that one.”

Dean gets up and looks back at the covered screen. He finds it odd that just that one is covered. There are countless cameras everywhere else that are uncovered. Why is that one marked Top secret? What could be top secret on this colony? There are Martians roaming outside. He knows at least one person is trying to find a way to grow Martian plants in Earth like environments. One scientist even got scolded by his grandfather for trying to teach a sand beast to attack on command.. Rox taps his arm, getting his attention.

“Want to join us for dinner?” she asks.

Dean doesn’t have anything else to do so he joins them for dinner. Hank is sitting with Sirena. She is giggling at some joke he made, and Dean rolls his eyes. Rox and Mr. White are discussing nail polish and Dean focuses on his dinner for now. Looking up, he sees Jonas sit down at their table and he cringes. He can hear him teasing Hank about his girlfriend. Dean sees him get up and his heart sinks. He sees Jonas heading towards him and groans. Today was going so well too. Jonas walks up behind Dean. He slaps his hand onto Dean’s shoulder, almost knocking him face first into his dinner.

“How is my other grandson doing today?” Jonas asks. “Better then yesterday, I hope?”

Dean nods, chewing on some Caesar salad. He doesn’t want to be rude, but he isn’t in the mood for talking to his grandfather. Seeing Roxx’s ears droop down ruins any good mood he was experiencing. He just wants to have dinner and go home and read his Giant boy Detective books. He knows that Jonas won’t pick up the hint, but he isn’t going to encourage him at all. Rox is acting engrossed in her conversation with Mr. White. Her flicking ears towards him tells him otherwise.

“Not chatty tonight, Dean?” Jonas asks. “You know, I was talking to Hank and he mentioned that you’ve never had a girlfriend. Why is that?“  
"Not interested,” Dean mutters.  
“Oh, "Jonas says, voice trailing. "Like Colonel Gentleman?”

Dean groans. This is not a conversation he wants to have. Not now, not ever. He looks over at Rox and Mr. White, pleading with his eyes. If anybody can make a distraction, it’s the “evah populah” Mr. White. Getting his meaning, Mr. White nods slightly. He turns to look at Jonas with a horrified expression. He gasps dramatically, catching Jonas’ attention. Even the way he is holding his spoon for his pudding screams offended.

“Jonas,” Mr. White proclaims. “You can’t just ask if somebody is gay. What’s the matter with you?”  
Jonas sputters for a moment, caught off guard. He murmurs something like an apology and leaves the dining hall before too much negative attention is brought to him. After he leaves, Dean can’t help the laugh that escapes at the bewildered look on Hank’s face from across the dining room. 

Dr. Billy comes in, and sits down with them with a confused expression. He asks them what is so funny and they all start to laugh. Mr. White explains once they are done laughing. Dr. billy just shakes his head and the rest of the dinner went without a hitch.

Dean didn’t even notice his pop and Hank leaving until Roxx pointed it out. Billy points out he and White need to get up early tomorrow, so they need to head off. They bid good bye and head off. Rox and Dean don’t have anything planned for tomorrow. They go to the entertainment center to watch whatever movie is playing.

They sit in the aisle seat. The movie starts and Dean sighs. It looks like one of the newer Disney movies. It’s more of a Hank movie to watch. It’s better then listening to pop argue with Hatred, so he’ll take it. It’s not that bad of a movie, once he gets into it. It’s not as bad as he was thinking it would be. Mid way through the movie, he looks at Rox out of the corner of his eye. 

Her eyes are round and soft, and she is curled up next to his arm, an almost dreamy expression on her face. He swallows nervously as he realizes she is looking at him like the main character is looking at his girlfriend. It’s clear she isn’t aware she is doing it. Her cheeks would flush otherwise. The lighting of the room makes her eyes look almost as blue as…the Quymns. 

Dean remembers the Quymn twins looking at him like that. Like he was their personal play thing. They held him down and laughed when he asked them to stop. He was able to act like he was fine, but when he got home he hid in the closet with Mr. Reachy until Brock coaxed him out. The only person he has told the whole story to was Brock. He tried to console him the best he could, but he was clearly out of his element. Skin crawling, he has to get out the theatre. He mutters a shakey sorry and gets out of the chair. He can hear her mewling in confusion. He just heads back home as quickly as he can.

Dean goes straight to his bedroom, not even saying hi to HELPeR. the robot is busy trying to teach Sprinkles to op through a hoop, thankfully. He closes the door behind himself and slides down it. Wrapping his arms around himself, he rocks back and forth. What is wrong with him? It’s just Rox. She was in his room, in his arms even, not even two days ago. It’s not like she was going to pounce on him or anything. His watch chirps at him and he answers. Rox’s face appears on his screen. She looks worried.

“Dean, are you okay?” she asks. "Stupid question. Course you aren’t. Why did you leave the movie?“  
"Uh, you know,” Dean says, trying to laugh it off. “Just something I ate, I guess.”  
“Dean,” Rox says sternly. “That won’t work on me. What’s wrong?”

He sighs. Nothing gets past Rox. Rubbing the back of his neck, he asks her to come over. He barely had time to tell his pop before a knock on the door announced Rox’s arrival. She greets pop. He can see the forcedness to her smile as she talks to pop. Pop mentions needing a nap and heads to his room. Dean leads her to his room for privacy. She sits on his bed, and crosses her legs. He closes the door and leans against the door, making sure it’s locked. He takes a deep, steadying breath.

“Back in the Amazon,” Dean starts. “We ran into another family of adventurers. Dr. Quymn and her daughters were looking for a cure for cancer and ran into some wereodile trouble. Drew and Nancy were more interested in me then who was behind the wereodiles. Uhm, some things happened. They said they had information on the wereodiles and I went to their hut. They lay me on their bed and..”

He tries to continue, but can’t past the lump in his throat. His vision starts to blur and his breathing gets more hitched. Rox gets off his bed and grabs his hands within her soft hands, stopping him. She gently leads him to his bed. She releases him and pulls the chair from the desk. 

Dean wipes his eyes on the back of his hand, feeling foolish. He pulls out a tissue from a box on his night stand and blows his nose, looking away from Roxx. He tosses the used tissue into the trash. He pulls his knees up and wraps his arms around them. He feels a pitch of anger in his chest and resists the urge to throw something.

“You must think I’m a sissy or something,” he murmurs.   
“Not at all Dean,” she says. “I think you’re a survivor.”  
“Not really,” he says. “I’ve died like fourteen times.”  
“You’re still standing,” she points out.

Dean smiles. He never thought of it that way before. He hears her yawn sleepily behind him. Looking at the clock, he didn’t realize it was so late. Nodding at the clock, she gets up. He walks her to the door. She bids him good night and leaves. He can hear Hank talking to Sirena on his watch in his room and his pop snoring in his room. 

He can hear HELPeR chirping at Sprinkles and shakes his head. HELPeR really loves that sand beast. He hopes they don’t have to leave him behind. Pop will find a way to make sure HELPeR gets to keep his pet., he’s sure about that He won’t admit it, but he does care about that robot.

Dean goes back into his room and changes into his pajamas. It’s been a strange and long day. He just wants to get to sleep. He puts his glasses in their case and crawls into his bed. Slipping between his sheets, nothing should prevent him from getting a good night’s sleep. After getting settled, he falls asleep.

It’s morning far too soon for him. He kept waking up, random noises startling him awake all night long. Thankfully, he has nothing planned for the day besides finish a book . Maybe watch a special on whales. Hatred sees he is wrecked and promises to make sure he isn’t bothered that day. Hank is too entranced by a call left by Sirena to notice anything. If he wasn’t so exhausted, he might have made a joke about sirens.

He can’t focus on his book and the special on whales was more on Sea world then the whales themselves. He turns it to some history channel and lounges on the couch with no real plan. Time passes at what feels like a snail’s pace. His stomach growls and he looks at the clock. 

It’s not lunch time yet, so he makes a sandwich. There is a message on his watch phone, but he doesn’t feel like seeing who left him a message. Probably pop forgetting something. He hears a knock on the door and groans. 

Putting his sandwich on the table, Dean figures that must have been what the call was about. He swings the door open and tilts his head. If not for the cat ears and tail covered in bells swishing, Dean might not have been able to tell who it was. 

Behind the slathering of white paint and polka dotted skirt, a cattish grin greets him. He can see bright pink buttons covering her shirt. Rox comes in, not even waiting for him to invite her in. She looks around and hums. He feels a little self conscious being in his pajamas with the torn shoulder and the stains on the pants. She doesn’t say anything, so he tries to ignore the self consciousness. 

“What are you doing here?” Dean asks.  
Rox looks at him in confusion. Her fake red nose droops along with her ears.  
“Didn’t Hank tell you?” Rox asks.

Dean looks at his phone and sighs. Picking up the watch, he checks the message left on it. It’s Hank, giggling wildly. Rolling his eyes, he listens. Between the giggles, Hank says he is sending Rox to cheer him up. He looks over to Rox, and she nods. All the confirmation he needs, he sighs. He deletes the message and shakes his head. He is going to have to find a way to get back at him later. Pushing his glasses back up, he was bored and needing something to do. She looks at him, toying with the rainbow coloured stickers on her clothing.

“Did Hank dress you?” he asks.  
“Kind of,” she says. “He said dress like a clown so I did. I feel like that weird lamp you had.”

Dean flinches. Hank kept that lamp in his room for some reason. He was secretly glad when it burned with the compound. Rox is obviously uncomfortable in the outfit. Going back to her place could subject her to ridicule so he goes into his room and finds something she can wear. Only thing that is suitable is a sweater vest and some worn out pajama bottoms. He doesn’t even remember packing either, but it is coming in handy now. Nothing else he has would even come close to fitting Rox.

Dean heads out of his room and hands the vest to a grateful Rox. She has removed all of the stickers from her outfit. They are all stacked on the table in a neat pile. She slips the vest over her shirt and slides the pants on, the skirt sticking out awkwardly. The vest and pants is still much too big for her, but it covers her better then the skirt and shirt. 

Dean knows she is going to need an explanation of some kind. She listens as he explains his “bad mood” is simply a lack of sleep. He assures her that she can stay if she wants. They sit on the couch and watch the history channel for now. They agree to switch the channel after each program.

Dean tries to fake interest in shows about colourful monster girls. But he has been chased by too many monsters to be able to fake it for long. The credits play and she hands him the remote. Grateful, he flips through the channels. He sees a “special” on Egyptian aliens. Too ridiculous to resist, he leaves the TV on the channel.

Rox snickers and he shrugs. It’s something they can both enjoy, he is sure. Aliens for him, Egypt for her. It’s probably as accurate as those old punch cards of his grandpa’s. It should be more entertaining though. They enjoy the program and as it ends, a knock on the door gets Dean’s attention. He goes to answer the door and in barrels his grandpa, not bothering to wait more than five seconds to see if somebody is home. 

Dean understands every third or fourth word from his grandfather. Something about trying to find pop but not able to locate him? He stops mid sentence, a confused expression on his face. Dean turns to see what he is looking at. It’s just Rox wearing his sweater vest. Jonas looks at Dean, and Dean just shrugs.  
“Dean, is that your shirt?” Jonas asks. “and…pants?”

Dean nods. Jonas sighs, pinching the skin between his eyebrows. Dean doesn’t understand what is going on. So what if she is wearing his sweater vest and some old bottoms? It’s not that big of a deal. He and his brother used to borrow each other’s clothes all the time. It shouldn’t be that big of a difference for Rox to borrow a shirt he hasn’t worn in a while. Rox tugs the shirt down, hiding her fluffy legs underneath it. Dean makes a mental note to ask how her legs work later. They don’t looks like either cat or human but some mix between.

“Dean,” Jonas says, interrupting his thoughts. “Aren’t you concerned what people might say?”

Dean squints his eyes suspiciously. Rox is suddenly fascinated by a thread on her skirt and it playing with it. What is Jonas talking about. He manages to utter a bewildered what as a response. He pats hims on the back mentally for not fumbling the conversation so far.

“People might think you are, you know,” Jonas says. “Strange?”  
“What do you mean strange?” Dean asks.  
“There is a cat human hybrid wearing your clothes,” Jonas states. “People might get the wrong idea about you and Roxanne. You don’t want to scare off a normal girl, after all.”

Jonas leaves, chuckling under his breath as he leaves. It slowly dawns on Dean what his grandfather was insinuating. Dean sits down on the couch and puts his face in his hands. He hears Rox pull the sweater vest off. She puts it on the couch where she was sitting. She slides the pants off, the skirt poofing down as she puts them on the couch. She whispers a downtrodden good bye and leaves. He grabs the clothes to put them away. It’s still warm and smells faintly of Rox. It’s a comforting scent, in a way. Like a blanket fresh from the dryer with the faintest hint of something citrusey.

Dean puts it away in the small closet. It’s almost lunch time, so he figures he should go see what his brother is up to. He manages to put on clean pants but doesn’t have the energy to change shirts. He puts on one of the numerous college hoodies he owns and calls it good. He puts on some sneakers and heads out to the dining hall.

 

He runs into Sirena on the way there. It seems that Hank was dragged away to do something “important” for their grandfather. She asks what it could be and Dean shrugs as an answer. She doesn’t comment on his “sparse” plate or how he keeps looking around the hall. He doesn’t see Rox anywhere and is rather disappointed.

Sirena wasn’t bad company. She mostly asked about what kind of things his brother would like for his birthday. Dean makes a note to wish Hank a happy birthday and to help HELPeR make him a cake later. HELPeR always needs help with making food because he lacks any taste buds of his own. 

Dean finishes his lunch and makes his way back home. He finds a note on the table stating his pop will be back in three hours. He sets a reminder on his watch and lays down on the couch. He kicks his shoes off. He places his glasses on the table and closes his eyes for a moment.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean only gains more questions as the mystery concludes. Or does it?

Dean is woken by an inquisitive nose in his face. He wasn’t even aware he fell asleep, so the surprise was double. Dean jolts, bumping his forehead against the pink nose. A girlish yelp is followed by a thump and the sound of the TV turning on. Dean throws his glasses on and sees Rox sprawled on the floor. She scrambles backwards, skirt flipped up. Her attempts to right the skirt only makes it worse. 

The dark coloured skirt is made of a stiffer material then the rest, a more outdoor friendly skirt he is sure. His cheeks flush as he realizes he can see her bright pink panties against the dark skirt. Pressing the side of his arm tightly against his eyes, he looks away. He can hear Rox scrambling up and muttering under her breath. He hears her get up and uncovers his eyes

Rox’s cheeks are just as red as his are as she turns the TV down and checks on the yowling sand beast. He didn’t even notice that Sprinkles was yowling. He was too focused on trying to figure out what material Rox’s panties were made of. They looked silk like but he couldn’t tell. He would have to get a better look to figure it out. Dean catches his train of thought and scowls. Why is he thinking so much on what material her underwear are made of? It’s not like he finds her attractive…Or does he?

His thoughts are interrupted by a loud yip. He sees Sprinkles is out of the closet of his and is now standing in front of him. his tail flicks back and forth, staring at him. Sprinkles probably needs to be walked. He gets off the couch and pulls his shoes back on. Rox already has Sprinkles’ leash on him. He follows and listens to Rox explain what she was up to in his home.

She explains that his pop sent her to go get him and that the door was unlocked so she just helped herself in. Then she saw him on the couch and she heard him talking real quiet. She only went closer to try and figure out what he was saying. It might have been important stuff. Like he got super sick and couldn’t talk any louder then a whisper. She didn’t mean to wake him up. If she knew he was just napping she would have left him be. 

Dean waves her off, his wrist making a weird floppy motion. His thin wrists make it more obvious to him. Nobody has commented on it, but it still bothers him a bit. Rox walks Sprinkles to the designated sand beast area. She tells him about all the different patterns in the newest kits recently. She talks about how Dr. Ventore has been having other scientists attempt to collect any wild sand beast kits they see. The efforts to diversify the stock have been successful.

Dean nods at the appropriate times, but isn’t paying too close attention. Rox doesn’t seem to notice. That or she assumes he is just tired and not distracted by thinking ungentlemanly thoughts. They return back and make sure that Sprinkles didn’t take anything that wasn’t his. He’s been doing that and they keep finding random shoes and things chewed to bits. Dean playfully scolds the sand beast. Sprinkles turns a few circles and huffs before falling asleep on his stack of blankets in the closet.

Dean closes the closet door, making sure the beast will be fine for the next hour or two. Sprinkles can handle being left alone for small amounts of time now. Anything more then a couple hours and he starts yowling and bugs the neighbors. Mr. White and Dr. Billy aren’t too fussy but the other neighbors are. The duo head to his pop’s lab, wondering what could be so important that pop sent Rox to fetch Dean. He could have just called him with the news if it wasn’t important.

Walking into his pop’s lab, Dean notices how excited he seems. Pop sees him and beams even wider. He dashes over and chatters excitedly. Dean can barely understand a word he is saying. Rox holds her ears down, the loud sharp beeps of HELPeR not helping matters. He orders HELPeR off. Mid beep, HELPeR stops and powers down. 

Pop looks at Rox releasing her ears and laughs. Dean crosses his arms. Pop pats his shoulders, telling him to lighten up. Dean rolls his eyes and sighs. He hopes that pop gets on with whatever was so important. He outgrew this thing years ago. Pop getting lost in whatever he is talking about is far too common of an occurrence for Dean.

“An amazing break through was just made, Dean,” he says. “Do you remember how you need a suit to go outside the colony?”

Dean nods, remembering that day. It was the second day they arrived. Hank couldn’t keep his eyes off of the woman’s batman shaped earrings. He eventually was told to stop staring with little success. Explanations about radiation and procedures just went over Hank’s head. Dean made sure to memorize the information just in case.

Dean remembers that a couple of suits got damaged rather badly by a sand beast that escaped his owner’s lease. Pieces of the suits are still being found all over the colony. Maybe they found a stronger material to make the suits out of and that is why pop is so happy? New advancements always made him happy, long as they were relevant to him and his interests. And didn’t cost him anything.

“Well, we solved the radiation problem!” he proclaims.

Dean narrows his eyes. Just like that, problem solved? It’s been a couple months since they got here. He doesn’t buy it for a minute. The scientists here are a competitive lot. Like a bunch of high schoolers, if those movies Hank watches are to be believed. Somebody would have mentioned being close to a break through. 

Pop restarts HELPeR He lets pop and HELPeR enjoy the “news” and leaves. Rox follows him, the noise hurting her more sensitive ears. He doesn’t mind her quietly tagging along. She has her brow furrowed in thought as well.

“It’s weird there was no announcements, isn’t it?” Dean asks. “About the breakthrough, I mean.  
“I was thinking about that,” she says, nodding. “And how the group in charge of finding a solution went home yesterday. All of them. And not a one of them said anything about being close.”

Dean didn’t know about that. That sounds suspicious to him. He pulls out his junior detective note book. A bright Beezy Bee is on the front. He flips the front back, shaking his head. It’s an old pocket notebook but it’s what he had in his case. Rox peers over the top of the notebook, reading his words upside down no doubt. They sit on a nearby bench and discuss what could be going on with outside the colony. The brain storming session is interrupted by Hank coming down the hall.

Hank chatters something about Sirena having a surprise for him later that week. Dean and Rox share a look as Hank ponders what it could be. Hank’s watch beeps interrupts his thinking and he is called away. Interrupted, neither of them are able to recapture the “groove” of the brain storm so they go their separate ways. They promise to meet back later if either gets any more information.

Dean sees HELPeR has already gotten started on the cake. He is surprised at how fast the ancient robot can move. HELPeR offers him a sample from the bowl. Dean tastes it and shudders. The batter tastes very bitter and pretty bland. HELPeR must have mixed up the milk and dark chocolate again.

Dean rummages in the cabinets and finds enough sugar to help balance the cake. He even tosses in the right chocolate for good measure. Once he has fixed the batter, HELPeR pours it into a pan and puts it into the stove. Timer set, he starts working on the frosting for the cake. Dean decides on a simple hazelnut flavoured frosting. 

HELPeR gets him the supplies needed and Dean mixes them. The frosting gets set aside while waiting for the cake to finishing baking. Dean takes the time to read over the notes he has made with Rox. They came up with some good whys for hiding the breakthrough. But they have no solid suspects for being behind it.

Dean admits it isn’t much of a mystery. but it’ll keep him occupied while they are here. They will have to do more sleuthing for clues later. Roxxy is going to be a big help with gathering information, Dean knows that. Nobody watches what they say around a little cat girl hybrid. He wishes that more people wouldn’t treat her so unfairly because of her looks. Dean doesn’t think it’s fair nobody takes her seriously, but it’s turning out to be quite an advantage for them right now.

Dean doesn’t know when he became so protective of Rox. He hears HELPeR beeping as he goes to see how much time is left for the cake. The oven dings and HELPeR takes the cake out. Right on cue, it seems. Dean tests the doneness with a toothpick and is satisfied with it. Dean can hear HELPeR humming as he frosts the cake. 

Dean goes to straighten up the living room from earlier. Who knew falling off a couch could make such a mess? It seems that HELPeR has gotten most of the area straightened up, so there isn’t much for him to do but wait for his pop to get back. Sitting on the couch, he runs a finger around a hole in the hoodie he managed to put on before going to his pop’s lab.

It’s not a special hoodie or anything. It’s just one of countless college hoodies he received when he moved to New York. Lots of colleges wanted some of Uncle J.J.’s money and thought the incentives would entice him. None of the numerous incentives given changed his mind

He only kept the hoodies because they were warm and had nice pockets on them and he had to wear SOMETHING before he got more clothes after the compound burned down. He gave the hats and other weird things to Hank. Dean was still deciding what college to go to when pop was called up here. Hopefully he can get in for the next quarter. This adventure is really getting in the way of his educational goals.

Dean can hear the fridge open and shut. HELPeR must have stored the cake away for later that week. Hopefully Sergeant Hatred won’t forget it’s for his and Dean’s birthday. Hatred has been on a chocolate kick as he calls it. He can hear the robot wheeling around the living space. The sound of Sprinkles’ leash and collar tags catches Dean’s attention. He looks behind the couch and sees HELPeR taking the beast off for a walk. 

Dean goes into his room for some privacy so he can look over the notes some more. Kicking off his shoes, he changes into some clean pajamas. He grabs the note book and looks over them, just in case he missed something. Between him and Roxxy, nothing was missed. Task done, he puts the notebook back on his desk. He lays on his bed, pondering what to do. He has already read his books multiple times. And watching television would require going into the living room. And he can hear HELPeR returning with Sprinkles.

Dean closes his eyes for a moment and is fast asleep. The door opening and shutting interrupts his slumber. He sees Rox sneak into the place and he pretends to be asleep. He feels a blanket get tossed over him followed by the feeling of his glasses being removed. He feels something soft and familiar get put in his arms. 

Running his fingers down, he can feel the worn texture of Mr. Reachy. Most of the charred feel has been washed out of him by now. Soft lips brush against his forehead before she retreats. The door clicks behind her. He can hear the front door opening and shutting. He sits up, hand where her lips were. The door closes behind her and he can’t help the goofy grin on his face as he lays back on his bed.

Running his fingers around the soft felt of Mr. Reachy, he sighs to himself. He doesn’t know what to think about Roxxy’s behavior lately. She’s been extra affectionate and sweet to him. Like he is seeing the real her after all this time. It’s not that he minds it. It’s kind of nice, really. He just doesn’t know how to react to it. 

Having a girl interested in him without being pushy or standoffish is a new experience for him. He is too tired to sort his feelings out. He slips underneath the blanket already on the bed. He puts the one that Rox put on him under the sheets. He says it’s because it’s warmer and softer then his usual one. But even he doesn’t buy his own excuse.

He can hear Hank and Hatred return, talking about some movie they just saw. Neither of them are good at being quiet, especially when excited. Some new action packed movie, probably with Batman in it. He knows that the two of them have watched all of the Batman movies that exist. It’s one of the subjects they are both just as passionate about. For different reasons, Dean is sure. He’s always been more of a mystery fan then straight up beat em ups like them. He is more concerned about the odd behavior of Rox then whatever Batman movie just came out.

Dean remembers that his pop once mentioned something about when a girl started acting different. But he can’t remember exactly what it was. It’s probably for the best, knowing how most of pop’s advice is. Not like his advice has done him much good. He would have better luck asking Hatred about it when he has a chance. Dean runs his fingers across the deeply blackened spots of Mr. Reachy, lost in thought for the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean’s curiosity leads to hard to sort feelings .

Dean wakes before his alarm goes off. He hasn’t done that since the night Roxxy left him Mr. Reachy. He keeps the blanket she left on his bed now. He has been much too busy running around the colony trying to gather any information he can get on the “miraculous” breakthrough. He hasn’t been able to find anything of importance yet. Nor has Roxanne.

Dean clicks his alarm clock off and gets dressed before heading out of his room. He sees Hank left him a message about hanging out with Brittany on his door and he rolls his eyes. He hears a commotion outside. It sounds like his pop arguing with Dr. Billy before storming off. 

He waits for the noise to stop before heading out. Dean sees a glowering Rox, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed. Dean walks up to her. Rox sees him and huffs in an almost defeated tone. Dean puts his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to say something.

“Your dad,” she says, pausing to roll her eyes. “Thought it would be funny to ask father how dad was in bed.”

Dean cringes, not needing to hear anymore. His pop is well known for saying stupid things. He rubs the back of his neck. Rox just glares at nothing in particular. Dean knows that playing with the beasts improves Rox’s mood. He attempts a carefree grin.

“How about we go to the sand beast pens today?” he chirps.  
“Are you offering because you want to go or because you think it will make me feel better?” she asks.

Her blunt tone throws Dean off. Asking her to do her favourite thing should have brightened her mood instantly. He makes a gulping harsh noise. This is not going as he thought it would. He knows the longer he goes without saying something the more she will think he is pitying her. He coughs awkwardly, buying him a few precious seconds to answer her.

“The sand beasts seem fascinating,” Dean says. “And since you are friends with the one in charge of them, I thought maybe I could learn more if you were there?”

Rox doesn’t question his sudden interest further and he breathes a sigh of relief. Dean is not a good liar still. He just finds it hard to lie to anybody. It’s just not in his nature to be secretive. He follows Rox to the sand beast pens. He wasn’t exactly lying when he said the beasts were fascinating. He can’t tell if they are more cat or dog. Watching how Sprinkles acts, he would guess they are more dog than cat. Sprinkles kind of reminds him of Scamp, if Scamp was a giant cat on Mars.

Dean can hear a commotion coming from the lab. Rox and Dean approach with caution. The scientist from last time sees them and heads to them. A worried look is on his face. He stands in front of them, barring their way.

“Kids,” he says. “As much as I appreciate your visit, now is not a good time. We have a bit of a uh, situation.”  
“What’s going on?” Rox asks, trying to look over his shoulder.  
“One of the beasts died last night,” he talks, his voice rough. Like he isn’t used to talking. “We aren’t sure why. She was fine earlier.”  
“That’s terrible,” Rox says. “What is going to happen to her kits?”  
“If it’s something contagious they will have to be destroyed,” he states. “They are old enough to be weaned from her milk but we can’t take any risks. ”

The pair leave, letting the quiet man get back to his work. Rox puts her hands in her pockets, a slight pout on her face. She clearly isn’t in the mood for talking right now. Dean pulls out his pocket notebook and takes a few notes. This is a disturbing development. He isn’t sure if there is any connection to the sand beast’s death and the “cure” for the mutation. 

Not having many places to go, Dean walks Rox back to her father’s lab. He’s been there a few times because his pop forgot something there, so he knows the way. He might have more information on the beast’s passing. Dr. Billy is sitting at a table, looking over a pile of papers. 

A half filled cup of coffee is in his metallic hand, the stain around the lip showing it isn’t his first cup and the dark glint in his remaining eye says it won’t be his last. The glint fades when Rox greets him. He puts the cup down on the table. He turns on the chair to face them. He smiles at Rox who scampers to his side. She grabs one of the papers he was just reading. 

“What’s this?” she asks. “Initial reports on the sand beast?”

Dr. Billy confirms and takes it back from her, citing classified business and security protocols. Dean sees the large stack of papers on the man’s desk, the file spread out to cover the entire desk. The reports are without pictures, which Dean finds odd. Shouldn’t there be a bunch of them, like of the dead beast and stuff? The lack of pictures is not as odd as the mention of Osmonite strewn through the report. Dean remembers his grandfather told him that Osmonite is hard to find. How did the beast find and consume a sample of it? 

He leaves Rox to catch up with her father. It will give him some time to organize his notes. And having him there might make Dr. Billy a little tight lipped. The only people who should be at home right now should be HELPeR and Sprinkles. When he opens the door, he is proven right. HELPeR is still trying to get Sprinkles to hop through a hoop like a circus lion. Sprinkles still only wants to chew on the hoop.

Dean goes to his room and pulls out his Busy Bee notebook and his master notebook. He grabs the red notebook from the lecture and starts transferring his newest notes into it. He scratches out a few facts that have been proven wrong since he has last written in it. He tears out the pages he has used up in the small pocket book and tosses them into the trash can. Looking over the information he has collected, he is no closer to figuring anything out. He flops onto his bed, frustrated. Dean feels a rumbling in his stomach and realizes he hasn’t eaten today. Not a first, sadly.

According to his watch, the dining hall will open for lunch soon. He heads out, not able to think on an empty stomach. He sees Hank and Sirena in the hall, whispering and giggling. Dean groans in disgust, making his way to the dining hall and far from the “love birds” as Hatred would call them. He finds an isolated table in a corner of the dining hall and sits with his back to the wall. 

Dean sees his pop come into the dining hall and grimaces as pop makes a beeline straight for Dr. Billy. He buries himself in noodles, trying to finish quickly without choking. He does not want to get dragged into this. Pop tries to make things better and just makes them worse. Like when he tried to explain the Birds and the Bees to him and ended up ranting about White Lion or something.

Noodles finished in record time, Dean just manages to sneak out before he hears the yelling start. He looks behind himself, patting himself on the back. He looks back in front of himself and yelps as he bumps into Rox. She shrieks and falls over, her books scattering across the hallway. Dean’s glasses join them and he groans in pain. He shakes his head, rubbing his shoulder from where he ran into the sharp corner of her books. His glasses were supposed to prevent this sort of thing.

Dean locates his glasses and helps Rox gather her books. She picks herself up as Dean scrambles back up. She looks at the dining hall, hearing the yelling. Dean shrugs, not sure how to explain what is going on. Dr. Billy storms out, muttering under his breath. He doesn’t even stop to say anything to Rox. Rox looks torn between lunch and seeing what is wrong with her father. 

Dean hooks his hand around her elbow and drags her into the dining hall. Dr. Billy needs time to cool off. And she needs to eat something. Dean sees his pop sulking with a large glass and avoids eye contact. He looks at the books Rox is using as a support for under her plate. All the books are on biology and things related to hybrids.

They sit at the same table Dean left. Rox puts her books away from her meal. The chicken noodle soup doesn’t look half bad, neither does the stuffed meatballs. He doesn’t want to try either of them, but they do smell almost tolerable. Dean grabs one of the books from the stack on the table. A picture of a lion with stripes is on the cover along with a cheerful looking woman in a lab coat has her hand on it.

Flipping through the book while Rox eats lunch, Dean furrows his brows in concern. He sees Rox is too busy scarfing her lunch to pay much attention to what Dean is doing. Flipping to the index. His eyes dart to the section on “Issues” in bold print. Unable to resist, he looks over to make sure the coast is clear before flipping to the section. Looking over the top, he sees Rox has gotten up to get seconds. She waves at her dad and they start chatting in line.

Dean starts reading, eyes going wide in horror. Pictures of sickly animals and charts showing mortality rates bombard him. He closes the book and puts it back. Horrified, he doesn’t want to know anymore from that book. Rox digs into her second plate with gusto. He can’t help imagine what problems Rox could be suffering from right now. 

Dean remembers his pop telling him that hybrids rarely live more than twenty years. He was talking about splicing monkeys with giraffes, for some reason. But if that’s true, that means Rox has at most five years left. He gulps, feeling rather sick suddenly. She looks up from her lunch and her brow furrows in concern. The room closes in on Dean. His vision blurs and then black.

Dean wakes, Rox’s face in his vision. He can feel her knees pressing into the back of his head. Her hands are cradling his head close, supporting his neck. They feel rather nice and comforting. He hears somebody running up to him. He sees brown loafers from the corner of his vision. He closes his eyes and groans weakly. 

His pop is going to make a big deal, he just knows it. Before Dean has a moment to think, he is being rushed to the medical wing. Rox isn’t allowed to follow since she isn’t family. Dean feels a peculiar pang in his chest when the doctor said that but he doesn’t have time to ponder it.

The doctor in charge makes sure he is all right, asking every question imaginable. Dean tells him what he believes is why he fainted, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment. Having to say it in front of his pop was not the highlight. He’s the son and grandson of super scientists. He’s supposed to be a bit stronger than that. Able to stomach the grosses of things. The doctor nods as he talks, writing something on his clipboard. The doctor chuckles as he hands the clipboard to a nurse. His pop glares at them, demanding answers. The doctor looks at him and his pop and chuckles again.

“I think it’s rather obvious,” he states.  
“What do you mean?” pop asks.

The doctor looks at Dean with an almost pitying look. Like he is in on something secret. Dean gulps, wondering if maybe it’s something more serious than concern for a friend that caused his episode. The doctor clasps his hand on his shoulder. Dean reads his name tag says his name is Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith smiles at him, trying to reassure him. Dean is not in the mood for shallow comforts and crosses his arms defiantly.

“It’s nothing lethal,” Dr. Smith says. “Just rest up and you will be right as rain.”  
He has to stay overnight because he hit his head when he fainted, but it’s just standard procedure. Dr. Smith leaves, humming as he leaves. It sounds like an Elvis Presley song to Dean. His pop realizes he forgot his communicator watch this entire time. He leaves to inform Hank about Dean’s condition. Dean rolls his eyes at his pop. Leaning back on the bed, he can’t help but overhear the doctor and the nurse talking. They are talking in a hushed tone, but Dean can still hear them. They must think he is resting like they told him..

“What is wrong with him?’ the nurse asks.  
“Oh nothing serious,” Dr. smith says. “He just fainted from worry for his girlfriend.”  
“The cat girl?” the nurse asks.  
“That’s the one,” Dr. Smith responds. “Not that he has anything to worry about. Little Rox is healthier than most people her age. Little underweight mind you, but nothing to be concerned about.”

Dean’s cheeks flash red as the information sinks in. Girlfriend? Rox? He buries his face in his hands. He isn’t sure how to feel about their assumptions. He doesn’t mind Rox, but he doesn’t know how he feels about her. He can hear fast footsteps approach. He looks up and sighs in relief. It’s just Hank coming to check on him. He isn’t going to ask why he is wearing a red cocktail dress. Something Hank related, he is sure. He is just glad to see it’s Hank. Hank has always been the easiest person for him to talk to. Maybe he can ask Hank for some advice about Rox.

Hank pulls Dean into a bear hug from the bed. Dean awkwardly hugs back and Hank lets him go. He sits in the chair left next to his bed. Hank gives him a quick rundown of what Dean missed while he was out. Dean figured the general from pop. It was nice having Hank confirm the sequence of events. Him falling over, Rox rushing to his aid, pop calling for the medical wing, people freaking out, him being taken here, all the drama. Dean shakes his head. All this fuss over him fainting.

“Hey Hank,” Dean starts. “What do you think of Rox?”  
“She’s all right,” Hank says. “Why you asking, Dean?”

Looking at Hank in his red dress, he isn’t sure how to bring it up. He isn’t even sure how he feels about Rox. He thought he loved Triana, and that ended horribly. He liked Thalia and the shop keep girl, but neither felt like anything serious. Neither he or Hank have that much experience with the “fairer sex” as Sergeant Hated would say. Dean perks up. He could just ask Hatred when he is out of this place. He feels kind of dumb that he forgot he could have just asked him instead. It must have just slipped his mind.

Dean assures Hank he is fine and asks if he could be left to rest for a bit. Hank obliges, leaving with a click of his heels. He can’t help but chuckle at imagining how Jonas will take Hank in a dress and matching heels. Shaking his head, he has his own problems to deal with. 

Like making sure Rox knows he is fine. He grabs his watch from the table nearby and calls Rox. He hears a nearby ringtone go off. It sounds familiar. Like a song from the eighties. He hears a startled squeak followed by the sound of buttons being mashed furiously. Looking at his watch, he sees he was sent to voicemail to his confused amusement.

Rox pops over, pushing the curtain out of her way. Dean can’t help but laugh as she throws herself onto him. She is talking way too fast for him to understand what she is saying but he appreciates what she has to say. She takes a deep breath and he shushes her before she has a chance to start again. She giggles and snuggles up to him under his arms. Like she belongs there in a way. Rox calms herself and repeats what she said. Dean nods, reassuring he is indeed all right. Just a bit banged up, nothing major.

Dean scoots up the bed, still holding Rox. Dean brings up her biology books from before and she starts to excitedly chatter about what she is learning from them. Hearing her talk so animatedly about “her history” brings a smile to Dean’s face. It makes him feel better hearing her explain all she is learning. And helps assuage his worries. He makes sure to ask questions every now and again. He hears somebody enter.

Rox squeaks and falls off the bed. Deans looks over and rolls his eyes. Of course it was his grandfather bringing him dinner. He didn’t notice Rox and him cuddled, so he doesn’t need to deal with his grandfather complaining about that. Dean makes a show of being tired so Jonas leaves quicker, not wanting to deal with the man right now. 

He leaves the meal and Dean shakes his head as Rox peeks her head up from under the bed. His grandfather brought way too much for him. Chicken nuggets, chicken strips, a mountain of fries, a covered bowl of vegetable soup and a large container of salad with ranch packets. He scoots the plate of chicken and fries towards Rox. She grabs the plate and is about to dig in when he taps the side of the bed.

Rox climbs back onto his lap and sits with her plate in her lap. They enjoy their separate dinners. Rox feeds him a French fry and he tries to feed her a piece of lettuce. She sticks her tongue out, he shoves as spoon full of soup in her mouth. She gulped it down and pouted playfully at him. Meals finished, Rox puts the plate on Dean’s tray and he puts the tray on the table. 

They continue their discussion until visiting hours are over. Rox slips off the bed, promising to bring him clean clothes tomorrow. She takes the tray with her and departs. Dean feels a bit lonely without Rox, but doesn’t think much of it. He takes his watch and glasses off and puts them on the cleared table top. Rolling over, he falls asleep, the scent of Rox lingering on his sheets.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean takes a personal day away from mystery solving to celebrate his and Hank’s birthday. Plenty of surprises await.

Rox left Dean a change of clothes on the chair while he slept. After sleeping in a dull and thin hospital gown, it felt nice to be in his own clothes. She even grabbed him clean socks, something he greatly appreciated. His clothes from yesterday are already in a laundry bag for his convenience. 

He places the bag on the empty chair and patiently waits for the doctor to get to him. Finally, he walks in to check on Dean. Dr. Smith makes idle chit chat as he checks his vitals, making sure is well. The doctor tells him to get plenty of rest and to take it easy. Dean nods in agreement.

Dean checks himself out, balancing the bag between his legs. Forms filled out, he grabs the bag, slinging it over his shoulder. It’s early, but he wants to find Roxanne. He goes straight to Rox’s place to thank her. Mr. White explains through a tired yawn that she and Billy had a delivery to pick up or something. They have been meaning to go to the delivery area for some things for a while and this was their first chance. 

White admits he doesn’t know how long they will be. He promises to tell Rox that he stopped by. Dean doesn’t like that smile on Mr. White’s face, but doesn’t say anything. He was hoping to run into Rox on his way home, but no such luck. He heads back home.

He opens the door and is jumped by HELPeR and Sprinkles. The cake for Hank’s birthday is out of the fridge, half of the cake missing already. A sign saying “HAPYY BIRTHDAY FROM H.E.L.P.eR. and Dean” sits in front of it. Dean is not going to question HELPeR’s spelling. The robot remembered what completely spaced his mind and saved his bacon. 

With all that has happened this week, he almost forgot about Hank’s, and by extension, his birthday. HELPeR is beeping too fast for him to decode, but Dean thanks the robot and peels the excited robot’s hands from his person before he causes damage. He pats Sprinkles head on his way into the living room. The beast chirps at him, rubbing his face on his hand as he walks past. Dean sits on the couch next to Hank.

Hank is sitting on the couch, toying with something around his neck. He is usually sprawled over it until pop yells at him. It gets Dean’s attention, anyway. Dean looks over and rolls his eyes at Hank. You’d think he has never gotten a gift from a girl before. Hank keeps playing with the black and yellow ascot that Sirena gave him. The little bats on it looks more like squashed beans, but Dean keeps his mouth shut. Hank is happy to see he is okay and starts talking about how awesome the cake is. 

Dean rubs the back of his neck, a bit embarrassed. Course he remembered Hank’s favourite flavour was chocolate hazelnut. And he can tell he enjoyed the cake. He is still wearing it on his face. Hank’s watch beeps and he looks at it. He sheepishly says he forgot something. Dean rolls his eyes. Hank is always doing things at the last minute. Hank got his cake, so Dean has done his “brotherly” duty. It’s about lunch time so he might as well go see if pop is in the dining hall. Pop would be sore if he didn’t get a personal update.

Dean finds pop in the dining hall. He doesn’t see Rox in the hall so he settles with sitting with his pop. He doesn’t say it, but he knows that Pop is over the moon that it wasn’t something serious that got him in the hospital. Pop doesn’t even complain about his sparse meal.

Pop excuses himself, saying he has to get back to work, his watch alarm beeping at him. Dean finishes lunch by himself. Heading out of the dining hall, he sees Rox exiting the other door to the hall. Her arms are empty so she must have already eaten. He must have not been looking hard enough for her in the hall. That or he was too distracted by pop to see her come in. He waves to her and she waves back.

Dean can hear Rox humming a waltz as she bounces over to him. She chatters about something really neat she remembered seeing earlier that she wants him to see. Dean lets Rox drag him with a bemused smirk on his face. It’s probably a new kitten in the pen with a unique fur pattern. She drags him to her place. She holds up a hand before dashing into her room. Rox comes back out with a long skinny box tucked under her arm. Dean looks at her curiously. She holds the box out to him. The box is a sleek silver, tied with a red bow. His name is on a plain tag attached to the bow. She tilts her head and smiles warmly at him. She places the box in his hands.

“Happy birthday,” she purrs.

Dean feels his cheeks flush. He mutters a thank you to Rox and opens the box. Looking at the contents, he knows what it is. Even folded as it is, he knows it is a dark red suit with a grey cummerbund. He looks at Rox curiously. Her eyes are downward and her cheeks are red, her tan brown freckles standing out from her cream coloured fur.

“You said you wanted a suit that looked good on you,” she whispers. “I don’t know if it’s your exact size but it should fit. There is a tailor here who can fix it if it doesn’t.”

Rox wrings her hands together, looking unsure of herself. A look very ill suited for her. Dean transfers the box to his right hand. He brushes his free hand against her head. She perks up and looks up at him. She smiles a watery smile. He returns the smile. It’s kind of nice to have somebody care about him in that way. It’s a nice looking suit and is a colour he likes. He has gotten pretty good at reading her expressions after all the time together. 

Gathering clues takes a lot of time. It’s makes it a lot easier when you can read your partner like how he can read Rox. He knows she wants to make sure it fits but is too shy to say it right out. He pats her head in what he hopes is taken as a friendly fashion. She tilts her head in a confused fashion and meows. Guess they need to work on silent communication still. It’s a useful skill, especially if they get into a tight situation.

“I will go try on right now,” he says.

Rox perks up and does a little dance. He chuckles and heads into the bathroom to change. Surprisingly, the suit wasn’t too hard to figure out. It did take him a minute to figure out the button/clasp combination but he manages it. He ties the black silk into a bow and looks into the mirror to straighten it. Looking it over, it fits perfectly. Even the grey cummerbund gives him no trouble. His clothes folded neatly into the box, he goes to show Rox the suit. Rox is bouncing on her heels, waiting for him. 

Dean frowns in confusion. He knows she was not wearing a dress, let alone had her hair in a bun tied with a deep red ribbon when she gave him the suit. She must have gotten dressed while he was trying to figure out the suit. He realizes the soft lilac of her dress compliments the deep red of his suit. His cheeks flush red again as it dawns on him she must not have noticed. Or she planned it on purpose. But Rox isn’t that sneaky, is she? She squeaks in excitement and tosses herself into his arms. He oofs as he spins around with her in his arms. He can’t help but laugh at how happy Rox is.

Dean is blindsided by how perfectly Roxxy fits in his arms. Like holding a soft and worn teddy bear. She is light in his arms but is far from fragile feeling. She rubs her cheeks on his chest, murmuring compliments about the suit. Dean isn’t a conceited person like his pop is. He finds it embarrassing most of the time to hear people talk about him so highly. It’s a bit new having somebody mean what it when they say he is handsome with no strings attached to it. He can’t hold her up forever. He puts her on the ground and slides his hands onto her soft hips. To steady her, of course. She titters, covering her mouth with her hands. He tries to look serious but can’t help but laugh with her. He just feels so at peace with Rox that it comes naturally.

“All right, Rox,” Dean says. “What is the big surprise?”  
“If you follow me, I will show you,” she says.

Rox offers her hand and he takes it. She doesn’t say a word about where they are going, humming to herself. She ignored any requests for information on where they are going. She turned to look at him with a pleased smile with no explanation, and that was all he got. Dean hopes the surprise is a good one. Most of the ones he has had have not been good. Like finding out he was a clone. Or that they are going to stay on Mars longer than expected so that they can catch up with Jonas. 

People turn to look at the strange duo. He knows he is a bit dressed up right now. The suit fits well and isn’t an eyesore like the green one, but it’s still a bit much. He hopes he can change back soon. He hasn’t been all that comfortable in suits since Prom. Rox stops in front of a large set of double doors. Hank comes down a different hallway, lead by Brittany. Hank has a blindfold on, probably his idea. It looks like the ascot Brittany made him. Rox and Brittany look at each other and open the doors.

A loud chorus of “Happy Birthday!” greets them. Hank pulls off his blindfold and grins at him. Dean is too stunned to say anything at first. He just looks at Rox, who pushes him forward. His pop and Sergeant Hatred come forward, holding a large birthday cake with a lot of candles. His grandfather is right behind them, leading the room in a chorus of Happy Birthday. 

Dean looks at the cake with a pained grin. Half the cake is a powder blue, the other half is a bold red. He sees scrawled in icing his and Hank’s full names. He doesn’t the recognize handwriting. It looks like a Fisher Price toy but Dean is nice enough not to say anything. They blow out the candles and are dragged into the heart of the party. Hank whispers that he likes the cake he and HELPeR made better. Dean grins for a second.

Jonas wraps his hands around each of their shoulders. Dean nods and pretends to be listening to what is grandfather is saying. The first chance he has, he slips away. He isn’t one for big parties like this. He knows that this party was mostly Jonas’ idea. He stands in a mostly deserted corner and waits for his chance to sneak back to Rox’s place to get his clothes. Maybe he can find something on TV to watch. 

Rox comes over to his hidden corner and tugs on his arms. He tries to ignore her, but she is persistent. He looks down and flinches. She is doing the Bambi eyes to him. It has never worked on him before but she did get him a nice suit. She pulls on his arms. She makes noises like she is picking a lock and she tugs his arms free. She holds his hands in hers and rubs her soft pads against his palms. She looks at him with wide eyes, pleading with him.

“Come on,” she says. “Let’s dance.”  
“Rox, I can’t dance” Dean pleads.  
“Sure you can,” Rox says. “Just follow my lead.”

Rox tugs Dean onto the dance floor. He knows he could free himself and go back to his corner at any time but decides to indulge her. She did pick out a swell gift for him and has been really helpful. The music changes to an upbeat waltz. She bows, and he follows suit. She grabs his hands, holding one near her hip and the other in the air right next to her head. His cheeks are flushed bright red, he just knows it. He thankfully doesn’t embarrass himself too badly on the dance floor. 

Mostly, he just let Rox take over. She leads him through the steps with ease, whispering what to do the entire time. He doesn’t seem to be doing too bad. He isn’t the most graceful dancer, he knows. Hank is the one that got all the dancing talent, what little there was to be had. Least he isn’t as terrible as his pop. Nobody can be as embarrassing a dancer as pop is. The song ends and she releases his hands.

Dean sits at a table and Rox joins him at the table. A waiter comes by and leaves a cup in front of Dean. He takes a sip from the cup. Fruit punch, from what he can tell. Looking around the well decorated room, he realizes that his grandfather must have spent a long time planning this. Pop stops by, spilling some of the contents from his cup on the table. He sits with them, and talks about some of the birthdays that Jonas organized for him. 

Deankeeps the conversation light, avoiding the bad birthdays. A well dressed woman taps pop’s shoulder. He looks over with a goofy grin at her. She invites him to her table and he accepts. He comes back to grab his cup. She grabs a cup from the table and takes a long sip from it. She makes an odd face, but finishes the cup. A waiter comes by and refills their cups before a different one offers them finger sandwiches. Dean sees they are some that are vegetarian and grabs a few.

Dean turns to ask Rox about the party and realizes she is gone. Mouth full of sandwich, he can’t call out to find her that way. She wouldn’t be able to hear over the commotion anyway. He looks around and realizes Rox has made her way to HELPeR. HELPeR is hooked up to a karaoke machine and has a party hat on his head. She grabs the microphone and sways her hips as she picks a song on the attached juke box. Dean abandons the table and moves closer. He has no idea what she is doing right now. 

Roxx hates singing in public, he remembers that. He can hear her giggle as she skims through the song list. He hears a faint hiccup from her. He sits at the table right in front of HELPeR. She turns to look at him. Dean shoots her a thumbs up, trying to be supportive. She smiles at him. The looks she shoots him is equal parts shy and seductive. His throat dries and he pushes his glasses back up. Why is Rox acting so strange all of a sudden?

“This is for you, Veggie boy,” she announces, winking at him.

Dean shakes his head, trying to suppress an amused grin on his face. This is not like Roxxy at all. He takes a sniff of the cup to try and figure out what she was drinking. The unmistakable scent of creme de menthe assault his nostrils and he is now concerned. He puts the cup down. Looking around, he sees his pop glaring at his cup before doctoring it. They must have gotten their cups mixed up.

He looks over at Mr. White and Dr. Billy with concern. Mr. White turns to look at him and winks before turning back to cheer Rox on. The opening notes play and Dean’s jaw drops. He recognizes the song from Prom. He remembers his pop arguing with Mr. White about even playing it. Mr. White took it off the play list and replaced it with something by somebody called Dead mouse he thinks. He didn’t know Roxxy was such a good singer. She sways her hips to the beat and he finds himself mesmerized by the movement. He decides to just let Rox enjoy herself. He knows her parents will keep her from doing anything truly embarrassing.

Dean hears a loud grunt of disapproval behind him. He looks and sees his grandfather standing against the wall, muttering about what a disgrace her singing is. Dean looks and sees Hank doing his seafood gag to Brittany, much to her confused delight. Dean rolls his eyes and cheers Roxxy on. The song ends and Rox heads back to her parents’ table. Her parents congratulate her for doing a good job and envelop her in a group hug. She did well, considering her intoxicated state. 

Dean sees the moment that they realize she is a bit tipsy and they both look at him, both stern. He points at the cup she was drinking from and his pop, trying to signal to them what happened. His pop is regaling the woman with tales of his youth. She looks almost interested, which surprises Dean. White rolls his eyes and nods. Rox bids goodnight to him and her parents lead her back home. Mr. White looks at the suit he is wearing and says that he will drop his clothes off for him.

Dean finds himself bored at the party without Rox there. Course, he has never really liked parties anyway. He stays as a courtesy, keeping an eye out for his grandfather. Hank is busy with Brittany and Hatred is talking to an old “warhorse” type. He looks like a general from a civil war movie. Dean can’t hear the conversation from where he is. It’s probably something about old battles or whatever. 

Dean ducks under his table when he sees his pop approach. Bad enough he has to deal with his grandfather bragging about him and Hank, he doesn’t need to deal with his pop drunkenly bragging about himself. Especially when he is more than likely going to brag about “getting some” that night. That only leads to to trouble that Dean will hear all about tomorrow. And for a long time afterward.

Scampering away on his hands and knees, Dean escapes the hall. Brushing his knees of dust, he puts his hands in his pockets. He sees that it’s rather late so most of the places he would go to would either be closed for the night. That or in the middle of the activity at hand. Not sure what else to do, he heads home. Humming the song Roxxy dedicated to him, he realizes he has been calling her Roxxy more often. It’s strange considering he has called her Rox their entire life. He wasn’t big on coming up with pet names.

Dean remembers once when they were comparing notes she mentioned she wished she had somebody special that gave her a pet name like in those old westerns. He isn’t sure why he is thinking about that right now. He chalks it up to concern for his friend. Walking into his room, he sees the box containing his clothes sitting on his bed. Mr. White works fast. More than likely it was Dr. Billy who dropped it off while Mr. White handled a tipsy Rox. He puts the box on his desk and peels off the suit. 

Dean puts it in the closet on a hanger, not sure what else to do with it for now. It is not dirty and looks just as it did out of the box, so cleaning it isn’t necessary for now. He takes off his watch and leaves a short message for Roxxy. Just asking her to call him when she is feeling better. Just showing concern for a friend, that’s all.

Dean puts his watch on the desk. Looking around, he doesn’t see Mr. Reachy anywhere. He looks under the bed and finds the worn giraffe. Dusting him off, he doesn’t know how he ended up there. He places the giraffe on his pillow before turning the light off. He takes off his glasses and makes sure they are in their case. He didn’t remember putting the case on the shelf in his desk. He puts it on the table top of the desk. He puts on a tank top and pj bottoms. A yawn catches him off guard. The day must have taken more out of him then he thought it would. He slips between the sheets of his bed. He is asleep before his head hits the pillow.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get strange as more then the mystery heats up.

Sitting on his bed wearing nothing but an old sweater vest was Rox. His old sweater vest, fluttering around her hips. Eyes dark and seductive, Dean doesn’t know how to respond. His mouth is suddenly dry and he knows he is staring awkwardly. Rox tilts her head, a coy smile on her face. She beckons him forward. His feet move of their own accord and she grins. Tugging him onto the bed, she pushes his back against the mattress. She brushes the hair from his face, the soft pads of her hands warm against his cheek.  
Rox straddles his hips and unbuttons his shirt. Before he can protest, she pushes it out of her way. The rasp of her tongue against his nipple causes him to shudder. She laps at his nipple like a saucer of cream and he can’t help moan. He runs his fingers across her ears. She playfully nips at his nipple and he squeaks out a startled gasp.  
A tuft of her fur brushes against his chest. He writhes beneath her, hands on her lithe hips. She releases his nipple with a plop. She sits up and sits on his knees and she tugs his belt free. Rox tugs his pants down past his knees and around his ankles. She palms his length through his briefs and he hisses through his teeth.  
“Sensitive, aren’t you?” Rox purrs.  
He can only nod as she kneads his chest with her free hand. Hank wasn’t exaggerating about the sensations. The romance novels never talked about the pleasing tickle of fur on his bare chest as she rests her arm on him. Course, none of them starred cat girls and cloned “boy” adventurers in them either. Dean knows he is a bit older then Rox and he should have ‘lost’ his virginity by now.  
Rox leans down, tail wiggling in the air catching his attention. He stares at her tail swishing back and forth. She grabs the edges of his briefs and tugs them down to join his pants. She shoots him a cattish grin, the tip of her pink tongue peeking out of her mouth. He swallows dryly as she leans down, rough tongue caressing the skin on his stomach as she inches lower and lower.

 

His alarm clock rings and he wakes up in a fog. Eyes bleary, he groans. Why did he dream of Roxxy in nothing but his sweater vest? And doing…any of that? Rox might have a crush on him, but he can’t imagine her doing something like that. She looked so cute and….sexy? The way the vest showed just a faint hint of fuzzy soft cleavage and just how it fluttered just past her hips, she looked absolutely stunning.

Dean can feel his face turning red as he realizes that confusion isn’t the only remnant from his dream. He hasn’t woken up like this in years. He face palms as he remembers telling Hank about the “teepee” in his shorts after that Molotov lady performed CPR on him. How was he so naive? He urges his unruly body to obey and gets dressed. Dean gets the feeling today is going to be a weird day. He sees that Rox left him a message. 

Roxx looks okay and sounds okay. Little rough, but she doesn’t seem to be worse for wear after last night. A post it note left from his pop is on the inside of his door. Standard sciencey rambles and a request he go to the lab and all that. Nothing too difficult or out of the ordinary. Dean stuffs the note into his pocket and gets his pop’s request out of the way. His pop will be sore with him if he is late.

 

Dean makes his way to his pop’s lab. He should be done by lunch if he leaves now. Then he can find Hatred and ask for some advice. If there is anybody who can give him a judgment free opinion, it would be Hatred. The morning passed in a dull blur. Turned out his pop just wanted somebody to do the “boring” work so he wouldn’t have to. Double checking samples and making sure that all the numbers are consistent, things like that. Nothing groundbreaking or marvelous or even interesting. Just tedious.

Dean manages to catch Hatred in the dining hall. Hank is nowhere in sight so Dean takes his chance. Dean sits at the table Hatred was sitting on. Hatred easily has three chickens’ worth of legs on his plate and a mountain of potato skins.

 

Dean’s plate of eggy cobb salad and tofu tacos looks rather pale in comparison to Hatred’s lunch. Dean shrugs and digs into his lunch. He can feel Hatred looking over at him every now and again. Dean hasn’t by choice sat with Hatred in over a year, so it’s understandable. They sit in silence, focusing on their meal.

 

Hatred finishes first and pushes his plate away. Hands clasped, he sets them down in front of him. Dean looks up from his taco. Hatred looks at him, waiting for him to speak. Dean puts the half eaten taco on the plate and straightens his glasses. He didn’t think he would be so nervous asking something so simple. He can see Hatred getting impatient so he jumps straight in with what is on his mind.

 

“When did you know you were different?” Dean asks.  
“What do you mean?” Hatred asks, eyes squinted in concern.  
“Uhmm,” Dean starts. “I don’t think I like girls.”  
“Oh!” Hatred proclaims, relieved. “That’s perfectly normal, Dean. Some bees like other bees and some birds like other birds.”  
“Not like that!” Dean yelps.

 

People in the hall turn to look at them and Dean melts into his chair. Dean didn’t want to have any attention on him for this conversation. Hatred stops talking, thankfully. Dean leans close and Hatred cranes forward. Dean looks around, making sure nobody is snooping. He isn’t comfortable having just anybody know what he suspects about himself.

 

“I don’t think I like,” Dean pauses before continuing. “Normal girls.”  
“What do you mean?” Hatred asks.

 

Dean tries to find the best way to tell him but he gets distracted by the dining hall doors swinging open. In comes his grandfather, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. He has a large helmet under his arm and tosses it aside. It bounces off the tile, the glass cracking. It rolls out in front of Dean and he picks it up. The panel stays whole but is now useless for exploration. He looks over to Hatred who just shrugs. Dean doesn’t need to listen to his grandfather to know what he is talking about. Bragging about “singlehandedly” solving the radiation problem. Dean knows it took years of research from countless teams to get it solved.

 

Dean goes back to his table and wraps his tacos in some napkins. He grabs the tacos and leaves. He made sure to put his plate under Hatred’s so it will be taken back to be cleaned. Walking down the hall with a handful of wrapped tacos, he realizes he is a lot like his pop. He hears applause coming from the dining hall and deems it not as bad as it can be.

 

He sees Rox walking out of a different door from the dining hall. She has two Styrofoam boxes balanced on top of one another. She sees him and smiles at him. His heart skips a beat and he swallows a mouthful of spit. He waves to her, trying to play it cool. Rox tries to wave back as the two boxes wobble in her hands. Dean rushes forward but is too late. The top box falls from her grip and tumbles to the ground. Most of the contents spill onto the ground and Rox yowls in dismay. 

Roxx puts the still safe box onto a bench and bends down, salvaging what she can. Dean puts his tacos on the bench and helps clean the mess. They salvage the chicken fingers and a handful of crispy clam strips but the rest has to be trashed. The box looks woefully empty to Dean. He offers her a couple of the tacos he has. She wrinkles her nose but accepts one. He puts the wrapped tofu taco into the box. He follows Rox to Mr. White’s lab where she drops off the still sealed box.

 

Rox mentions to Dean that he gets so busy he forgets to eat sometimes. Dean nods, his pop being the same way. She doesn’t say anything about the lunch box for herself. They walk to a quiet area next to the sand beast pen. Sitting at a bench, she opens the box. She starts nibbling on some of the chicken fingers. Dean unwraps a taco as she finishes the chicken fingers. She moves on to the clam strips before being left with the lone taco.

 

She peels the napkin back and takes a small, hesitant bite of the taco. Dean watches with bated breath before she takes another bite. She mutters it’s not half bad and finishes it. She offers the box to him and he puts the soiled napkins into it. Rox snaps the box shut and tosses it into the trash. She sits at the bench, leaning back.

 

Dean looks at her and bites his lip as he cleans his glasses. He doesn’t understand why she didn’t just eat lunch in the cafeteria today. He has seen her do it before. He has even joined her a few times. It would have been a lot easier and she wouldn’t have dropped so much of her lunch.

 

“Why were you eating out of a styrofoam box?” Dean blurts out.  
Rox turns to look at him before turning away again.  
“Cause people make fun of me if Dad isn’t there,” she mutters. “Well, only a person or two, but still. Easier to just grab a meal and go if Dad is busy.”

 

Dean doesn’t need to ask to know that she means his grandfather. He has heard enough stories from Colonel Gentleman to know how he could be. According to Rodney, only reason he let Otto be on the team is because he was useful for getting past security. “Like anybody was going to question a half fish” he’d say. Colonel Gentleman may be a blatant racist and hater of all things robotic but he knew when to keep his mouth shut for the sake of teamwork. It seems Jonas never had any reason to learn that lesson.

 

Dean thought twenty years on Mars would have mellowed Jonas out some but he hasn’t changed from the stories at all. And his pop is in denial about how self serving Jonas is. He just hopes that pop realizes that before somebody gets hurt. He can see Rox toying with a stray strand of hair on her hands. Without thinking, he grabs her hands within his. She looks up at him. He feels his heart flutter as she smiles. He stands, still holding her hands. With more bravado than he is feeling, he leads her to his pop’s lab.

 

They see his pop and her father standing, looking over documents. Pop looks at him and looks at him with concern. He stands up and stands in front of Dean. Dean lets go of Rox’s hands and she stands off to the side. Pop looks nervous to Dean. Why would he be nervous in his own lab? That’s his space to do whatever he wants.

 

“Dean, I need you to do something for me,” Pop says.  
Dean narrows his eyes as Dr. Billy walks up to him with the papers in his hands. Dean peers at them and believes it to be Martian language.  
“Billy and I,” pop says.. “Have been trying to decode these symbols for awhile. And since you seem to be the only person who has had a positive encounter so…”  
“You want me to ask them to translate them,” Dean answers flatly.

 

Dr. Billy and his pop both nod excitedly. Dean sighs as Rox tugs on his shirt. He looks down towards her. She smiles at him, eyes shining with encouragement. He can see that no matter what he does, she will not judge him. Knowing he has somebody on his side boosts his confidence greatly. Dean gathers his wits and makes a decision.

 

“I’ll only do it if Rox gets to come with,” he blurts out.

 

Rox starts, just as confused as Dean is. Dean tries to rationalize why he asked to have Rox join him. Maybe just having her nearby will make him more comfortable communicating? Rox is good at picking up on body language and has been helpful with the mystery stuff. She deserves to have the chance to see what all the fuss has been about. And she has been supportive of him this entire time, so having her join is a no brainer. Rationalized in a logical fashion, he waits for an answer. Dr. Billy and pop look at each other before nodding. Rox grabs the edge of his shirt, smiling at him bravely.

 

They agree Rox is allowed to follow. She nods, agreeing with the plan. Dr. Billy makes sure they are properly prepared and all proper procedures are taken. The exploration is planned for tomorrow so they have time to prepare. The procedures will be reviewed before they head out and they will be given proper equipment. 

The two teens listen intently, committing the information to memory. Most is stuff they already know. But they still absorb what they are being told. Being under prepared out there could be lethal. While talking, Rox wraps her hand around her midsection and lets out a hiss.

 

“You all right?” Dean asks, concerned.  
“Yeah,” she hisses. “Just cramps.”  
“Something you ate?” he offers.  
“Wrong kind of cramps.” she answers cryptically.

 

He silently “ohs” in understanding. He doesn’t know a lot about “feminine” issues but he knows cramps are a big part of it. The learning bed didn’t have a lot of information, and most of it just didn’t sound right to him. He knows when he tried to ask Triana about it, her dad got mad at him for it. He doesn’t see anybody around and he doesn’t see any harm in asking Rox about it. She is the girl he knows the best.

Dean asks her what it’s like. Rox looks at him like he sprouted a second head or something. He smiles encouragingly, trying to make it clear he is serious and not just funning her. She must have decided he was serious and launches into a detailed explanation. A bit more detailed than what Dean had in mind, but he does his best to listen and ask questions when appropriate. In the middle of her impromptu lecture, she stops. 

Dean tilts his head, not sure why she stopped. She points behind him. He turns and sees his grandpa. Jonas looks around before stepping into a room, the door clicking behind him. Dean assumes he is planning another one of those parties that pop always complains about. Dean figures he should go and dig his suit out of his closet, just in case. He bids good bye to Rox and heads off. On his way back, he sees his grandfather head out a different room, brushing red dirt off his shoulders. 

Dean walks over to him, a fake grin plastered on his face. He waves heartily, calling out to Jonas. Jonas starts, looking around. He realizes it’s “just Dean” and relaxes. He claps his hand on Dean’s shoulder. Dean grimaces. Did they not have personal space in the 70s? He had the same problem with Colonel Gentleman and his casual nudity Shrugging off the offending hand, he crosses arms and tries to look casual.

 

“Planning another party, grandpa?” Dean asks.  
“Hmmm? Oh yes,” Jonas says. “A, uhhh, Surprise party for a dear colleague of mine.”

 

Dean’s suspicion only grows at his stammering. If Jonas was planning a party why was he outside the colony and sneaking around? Dean knows asking Jonas with no proof would only make Jonas better hide what he is doing. For now, he knows to leave Jonas to his “party planning” and heads to his room. His suit was not as buried as he imagined it was. Finding a long and plain white printed box is way easier when all your clothes are dark tones, it appears. Switching to a lot of more neutral tones was the first thing he did when they moves to New York.

 

Dean doesn’t see Rox until dinner time. They sit with Hank and Brittany. They have a lively discussion about movies they have seen. Dean tries not to notice how close Hank and Sirena are sitting. Or that he and Rox are sitting just as close. It just feels right to have her close by. Rox is discussing which is the best Batman with Hank. Sirena is listening intently, fascinated. Dean is lost in thought, thinking about Rox. He can’t help think if he met another cat girl would he be as fascinated. Would they get along as well? This feeling in his chest, would it be the same if he met somebody else like Rox? 

Dean never paid all that much mind to her appearance, so it has to be more than that. If he met another animal person, he’d be fascinated at first. But not in the way Rox fascinates him. He knows there is a word for how he feels about her, but he can’t remember it. It’s on the tip of his tongue, but for the life of him he can’t remember it.

 

He realizes that Sirena just asked him a question. He shakes his head and asks her to repeat the question. She ribs him about scientists never paying attention. The rest of the conversation goes smoothly and they head to their homes. Dean can hear their pop arguing with Hatred through the door. Sighing, he pushes Hank forward. Hank trips and slams against the door. The voices instantly quiet and Dean opens the door. Pop sees Hank sprawled on the ground outside. He has the decency to look embarrassed at being overheard.

 

Dean goes straight to his room, ignoring the background noise that is his family. Whatever Hatred and pop were talking about doesn’t concern him. He sits on the edge of his bed, hands clasped in front of him. He can’t help but be nervous about tomorrow. Having Rox with him does ease his mind. But only a little bit. He repeats that it will be okay under his breath until Hatred knocks on his door, telling him it’s dinner time. He follows him and stays quiet during dinner.

 

Nobody notices that Dean didn’t participate in the conversation. He was too busy sneaking glances over at Rox. He feels his heartbeat quicken every time she looks at him but can’t figure out why. He hasn’t felt this way before. But it is almost familiar to him. But from where, he can’t remember.

 

Maybe a different Dean felt this before and he is now experiencing that feeling for himself? Scooting his broccoli stir fry on his plate, he feels frustrated he can’t place this feeling. None of the emotions feels right. It’s more then happy, that much he knows. It feels like nervousness, but with none of the uncertainty. He gives up for now and focuses on eating and preparing himself for tomorrow’s adventures and whatever they may bring.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean meets with the Martians for more information about the mystery plaguing the colony.

Dean is still nervous about going out of the colony. No matter how much preparation he gets, he will be. He is glad to have Rox tagging along with him. Looking outside a window, he sees nothing reddish brown as far as the eye can see. Last night, he sneaked out for a bit to help get his bearngs. The air was iron tasting but breathable. As expected. He knows that somehow, somewhere machines are giving Mars enough atmosphere to have oxygen, but he doesn’t know all of the details. He just has to hope that the ones in charge know what they are doing. 

Rox and Dean are suited up, just in case. They are both given a taser, guaranteed to stop any Martian in their tracks. A quick review later, they are outside the colony looking for the Martian he talked to earlier. Rox keeps close, her nose twitching as she sniffs the air. She stops and points at a hill. There, standing on top is a Martian with a torn sand beast pelt. Dean would recognize them anywhere.

 

Dean waves at them, unsure. The Martian looks straight at him before leaping off the hill, landing in front of them. They look at him and Rox, curious. Jaal offers a hand and Dean takes it. Jaal nods, releasing his hand. Jaal gestures towards a cave and they walk into it. It is some sort of hardened red rock from the looks of it. 

They are guided to sit in front of a roaring fire. They are each offered a slab of seared meat. Dean declines politely. Jaal grunts in approval as Rox digs into the chunk of meat. Looking at it, Dean can tell the meat couldn’t have come from a sand beast. Much too small to be even a sand kit. Jaal sits across from them, looking at Rox. Dean scoots closer to her. A ghost of what Dean could have swore was a grin flashes on Jaal’s face.

 

“This is the talking beast,” Jaal states.

 

Rox humphs indignantly. Jaal apologizes, explaining their lack of knowledge of beings like her. Jaal is curious and means no offense. For as long as any Martian can remember, they have lived with the creatures of Mars in peace. Not many animals were able to survive on Mars, so Jaal is always interested in seeing new species. When the first colonists came by, the Martians were open to them as well. 

They lived with the colonists with no problems for many years. They learned from one another and helped one another. For years, the Martians were all united in helping the colonists. Then, they split into two groups. One that believes humans and Martians can intermingle freely as they have. The other believing that only the best will survive and all others will perish. They have been attacking any humans they see. Jaal knows it’s only a matter of time before they start attacking fellow Martians.

 

Rox nudges Dean’s shoulder and he shakes her off. She pokes the large pocket on the suit and a crinkle is heard. Dean forgot about the reason they came out here. Dean pulls out a copy of the documents his pop was struggling over and hands them to Jaal. He looks at them and then chuckles. Dean is confused about what is so funny. He hears Rox make a confused mrow noise from his right. 

Jaal gestures towards Dean, making a writing motion. Dean hands them a pen he had on his person. Jaal must have seen scientists use a pen to make marks. Jaal looks at the pen and tilts their head as they try and make a mark on the paper with no result. Dean pulls off the top and taps the end to write with towards the paper. Jaal nods, and writes on the documents.

 

“That is a basic learner of Martian language,” Jaal explains. “Most are examples of common words among our people.”

 

Dean looks over and sees that Jaal has written what would be the equivalent if there is one. Jaal finishes and hands the papers and pen back. Dean looks over it and nods. With the guide, most of it is clear as day. Jaal’s handwriting is messy and blotted, unused to using a pen to write. That or it’s naturally that way. Dean would have to see Jaal write more to know for sure. Dean thanks Jaal for his help. He promises to keep Jaal updated and Rox nods in agreement. 

Jaal nods, starting they have business to attend to. Jaal walks them to the entrance.The duo head back to the colony, the papers refolded into Dean’s pockets. They return to the colony and run back to his pop’s lab. The suits are returned and after a quick shower to remove any contaminants, they hand the papers over to his pop. He reads them, muttering under his breath. His face breaks out in a large grin and pulls them in a hug.

Dean is not used to his pop being affectionate and goes stiff. He hears somebody come into the lab and slips out of his pop’s grasp. Looking at the door, he sees Jonas has come in to check on what pop is up to. Pop shows him the papers they brought back. The “code” will make translating any markings they find a snap.

Jonas appears to have a problem reading some of Jaal’s handwriting, holding it close than farther away. The pen leaked ink in areas and obscured some of the more delicate symbols. Pop is having trouble reading it as well. Rox tries to point out what the symbols mean, but Jonas just shoos her away. She is a persistent one, however and doesn’t give up that easily. He pushes her away, waving her away from him.

 

“Roxanne, go play with a mouse or something,” Jonas says. “People are doing important things.”  
“Yes sir,” she whispers.

 

Rox leaves the lab, feet dragging against the tile floor. Dean looks at his pop and grandpa and decides to follow Rox. He walks up to her sitting on a bench. Legs pulled in, she looks downtrodden. Dean sits next to her. She looks up and her eyes widen in surprise. Her face brightens up, a smile on her face. Dean can’t help but smile back. Her smile is really infectious to him.

 

“Rox,” Dean says. “I’ve got a question.”  
“Yeah?” Rox asks, tilting her head slightly.  
“Why does grandpa always talk to you like that?” Dean asks.  
Oh,“ she says quietly, smile fading. “It’s because he thinks hybrids are inferior to humans. Like a novelty toy or exotic pet.”

 

“But you’re not just a pet,” Dean blurts. “ I mean, whoever was responsible for making you put a bunch of work to make you so smart and helpful. Why would anybody think less of you just because you are a little different?”

 

She shrugs before looking back at her feet hanging from the bench. Dean doesn’t know else what to do. He remembers that Simba liked being scratched behind the ears and it always made her seem happier. He reaches over and runs his index and middle finger around where Rox’s ear meets her skull. She whips her head at him and his hand drops back to his lap. Her cheeks are red and he doesn’t need a mirror to know his are too.

 

“Sorry,” Dean mutters. “Was just trying to make you feel better.”  
“It’s all right,” she whispers. “You startled me, that’s all.”

 

Rox laughs it off and Dean feels a little less embarrassed. While it didn’t work exactly as he planned, it worked at least. She suggests they go to the library and find some books to read. Dean didn’t even know there was a library here. He’s already read his Giant Boy Detective books so many times he probably could recite them word for word. Getting some new books to read would help time fly while here. They make their way to the library.

 

Rox guides him around the library, helping him find some books that he will enjoy while he is here. While Rox is talking about the last book she has read, Dean recognizes the familiar giggle of his brother. He hears a girlish giggle join his and Dean excuses himself to check what Hank is up to. He really hopes he isn’t up to what he is thinking he is up to. Peering around a bookshelf, he sees Hank and Sirena sitting in a quiet corner. They are giggling at a child’s joke book and Dean rolls his eyes. 

 

He goes back to trying to find books with Rox. She is scowling at a book in her hands. She puts it back on the shelf, muttering under her breath. He looks at the book and reads the title. Famous Government Cover Ups on the side. She moves forward, looking at random books with interest. He takes it off the shelf and randomly flips through the pages. He stops on a random chapter. A full page picture of a sallow skinned man greets him. A short pointed nose and an arrogant sneer and a mop of blonde hair makes Dean think of a villain from those old cartoons he used to watch with Dr. Billy.

He reads that his name is Dr. Franklin “Felix” Coldwell and he got the nickname Felix from his unusual interest in cats and his piercing blue cat’s eyes contacts he wore. Rox slaps the book closed, an angry scowl on her face. She takes the book out of his hands and shoves it back on the shelf, tail slashing the air. Dean glares at her.

 

“I was reading that,” he exclaims.  
“I’d rather you didn’t,” she states.  
“Why?” he asks.  
“Because I would rather you didn’t,” she repeats.  
“That isn’t an answer,” he answers.

 

Dean crosses his arms. Rox sighs, crossing her arms as well. She looks at him, eyes dulling with resignation. She knows that he isn’t going to let it drop that easy. Rox grabs the book from the shelf. She motions for him to follow and he does. Rox weaves past tables and chairs until she finds a quiet corner. She scoots into the quiet booth and Dean follows. Rox drops the book on the table and leaves it there. She looks away.

 

“My creator,” she starts. “Made me as a present for a fellow scientist he…"fancied” at the institute they worked. It seems he…he took her cat and a hairbrush and spent years…making me.“  
She swallows before continuing.  
"Anyway, ” she says. “She didn’t like his present and reported him to their higher ups. They have him locked him up in Dunwitch Asylum until he’s less unhinged.”

Rox wraps her hands around herself. Dean is rendered speechless. He doesn’t know what to say. They sit in silence as Dean processes what he was just told. He can only think of one question that would not dredge up more bad memories for her. He hates seeing her upset.

“If you were an illegal science experiment,” he says. “How did Mr. White and Dr. Billy become your parents?”

 

Her ears prick up. She smiles for a moment. A much better subject, as he suspected. She puts her hands in her lap and leans back on the chair. Dean sees her tail flick up before falling onto his lap. Rox doesn’t seem aware of where her tail fell. He chooses not to say anything, not wanting to make her feel awkward. He puts his hands on his lap over her tail. Playing it cool, he weaves his fingers around her tail as she talks. Not holding it tightly, just brushing the fur between his fingers delicately.

 

“Dad said that he found me on the doorstep one day. Uncle Rusty said he saw a "Puerto Rican maid type” around there. He was heading to the trailer for help with some new project. Father made sure all the legal stuff was figured out so that nobody can claim me,“ she explains. "I am a Whalen White, through and through as Dad says.”  
“You really love your parents, don’t you?” Dean says.  
“More than anything,” she says. “They didn’t have to take me in and they never had to treat me so well. They really do love me and I love them. It’s not the most ideal, but it works.”

 

Her watch beeps, interrupting her impassioned speech. Rox looks at her watch and gasps. She says she completely forgot she was going to meet her Father at his lab. She leaps off the bench and dashes off, waving good bye to Dean. Dean awkwardly waves. His hand falls to his side. He looks down at his feet, not sure what to do with himself now. Hank is busy with Sirena and dealing with his grandfather or pop is not his idea of fun. Hatred mentioned getting a tune up for HELPeR, so those two are out.

 

Dean decides that since he is in a library, he should find some books to read. Looking around to make sure, he grabs the book on Rox’s creator. He buries it under a few Giant Boy detective books he chooses at random. The librarian doesn’t comment on his choices. She helps him fill out the forms for a library card and sticks a pamphlet of rules into one of the books. He carries the books to his room.

 

Dean pours the books onto his desk, grabbing the cover up book from the mound. He wants to read it first so that Rox doesn’t find out. He doesn’t want Rox to know he went behind her back to learn more about her creator. He doesn’t know why he needs to be assured she is all right or why he is so secretive about it. His pop would call it a personal mission.

 

Dean rationalizes it as simple curiosity. He gets comfortable on his bed and opens it to the chapter he was reading earlier. Reading through the chapter, he finds out that Coldwell’s work had way more reaching implications then Roxanne shared. He gets so caught up reading about Roxanne’s creator that he missed dinner. His reading is interrupted by an energetic knocking at his door. He marks his spot with his card and hides it under his pillow. Just in case, he tells himself. Dean doesn’t need his grandfather asking nosy questions about his reading materiel.

 

Dean opens the door and is relieved to see it’s just Hank bringing him dinner. Hank hands him the container and lets him get back to his reading. He lays back on the bed and continues his reading. The Styrofoam container on his stomach, he is grateful to see it’s all finger food. If anybody understands how Dean gets, it would be Hank. Munching on fries while reading, he is surprised when he reaches the end of the book. It felt like it ended a bit abruptly. He never liked endings that left so many loose ends.

His dinner finished, he gets up to toss away the container and to put the book on the bottom of the pile. He makes sure the title is facing towards the desk so no passerby can read what it is. He will return it next time he has a chance. Dean grabs a different book and starts reading it. It’s the newest Giant Boy Detective book. He had heard good things about it. It’s supposed to be the hardest to solve mystery to date. Something he is familiar with. He settles into his bed and works through the mystery at hand.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is in the air for Dean and Roxanne, as is bigotry, awkward apologies and dancing.

Dean is awoken by a frantic metallic knock on his door. He falls out of his bed and stumbles to the door. He doesn’t bother grab his glasses for now. He opens it, and sees HELPeR with a note stuck over his eyes. His claws can’t reach the sticky note. Dean removes it and HELPeR beeps in relief and wanders off to begin his tasks. Dean reads the note and sighs. Of course his pop is too lazy to check if his mail got sent to the sand beast lab and would request Dean do it for him instead. 

 

Since all he has to do today is return a couple of books, Dean obliges his pop’s lazy request. He gets dressed, grateful that Hatred made sure his clothes got returned to him from the laundry room. He puts on a clean t shirt and jeans and after slipping his shoes on, heads out with the two books he finished. He puts them in the return slot and heads off to the lab. He doesn’t see Rox and is disappointed. He ask Dr. Ventore if he got any of his pop’s mail. He nods and goes to fetch it.

 

Looking around the lab, he spots two large pink cat ears peeking up from an office chair. The chair was in a corner, so it’s no wonder he missed her. Dean goes and turns the chair and sees Rox sitting cross legged in it. She is cradling a tiny sand beast in her arms. The kit is noisily drinking from a bottle full of milky liquid. A solid chocolate brown colour, it’s tiny pink nose stands out. Rox looks up, her cheeks flushed. She shifts the kit to her other arm as the smallish kit finishes the bottle with noisy gulps.

 

“His mom had too many kits,” she explains, cheeks turning redder. “He’s a runt and Dr. Ventore said he doesn’t have a good chance if intervention isn’t made for him.”

 

Dean pulls up a chair and sits with her. He watches as the kit finishes the bottle. Rox wipes away a drip of formula from the kit’s mouth before placing the kit into a small blanket lined box on a table. She pat the fur on his head. The kit squawks before settling into their makeshift bed. The kit makes a final whine before falling asleep in the box She picks up the box, a sheepish grin on her face. She clutches the box close.

 

“The scientist asked if I could take care of him since they are so busy since the sand beast died,” she says. “Dad said I could keep him until he is strong enough to be kept with the rest of them.”

 

Dean reaches into the box and rubs the kit’s tiny nose. The kit wakes with a grunt, tongue peeking out. The kit licks his fingers, covering them in sticky drool. The kit finds nothing good on his hands and grunts in disapproval. Rox gets Dean a tissue to clean his hands off. The kit nuzzles up to Rox, escaping his box. The kit is content in her arms and snores. Dr. Ventore comes back and puts the papers in the box for him. Dean holds the box for Rox as they head to his pop’s lab. Dropping off the stack of papers to his pop, he slips out before he can be given another task.

Knowing pop, it will be just as boring and pointless as the other tasks he has been given. And Dean can only sort test tubes so many times before going insane. He walks with her back to her place and watches as she gets the kit set up in her room. Rox grabs a sticky label and writes “Bowie” on it before sticking it on the kit’s box. Dean can’t help the sour grimace on his face. She looks at him and tilts her head. She turns from the kit and crosses her arms. Dean tries to hide his expression from Rox, and fails.

 

“What’s up?” Rox asks.  
“You are calling him Bowie?” he asks.  
“Good a name as any,” she says. “He doesn’t seem to mind, so why not?”

 

Dean shrugs, not able to argue that logic. Rox sits at the desk. She pets Bowie’s nose, laying her head on her desk so she is facing the kit. Dean rubs his arm nervously. The mood in the room seems to have taken a sharp turn all of a sudden. Dean kneels down next to Rox. She keeps her eyes locked on the small kit in the box. She huffs indignantly.

 

“Closest to a child I will ever have,” she mutters, just loud enough for him to hear.  
“What are you talking about?” he asks.  
Rox barks out, “I’m half cat and half human. Do you really think that is a viable combination that can produce viable offspring?”

 

Rox turns to look at him, fingers resting under Bowie’s chin as her eyes grow watery. Her mouth twists into a bitter smirk, a sharp contrast to her usually soft happy features. Dean recoils in surprise at the uncharacteristic harsh bite in her voice. He doesn’t need any guesses to know who must have been so cruel to Roxx. 

They use to play house with his various dolls as Hank ran around with his Batman figures. She always said she was going to be a ballerina and a mommy when she grew up. He never said it was a stupid wish, and he could tell she appreciated it. In turn, she always supported him, even after finding out the truth about him and Hank.

Yet another sleepless night after discovering he was a clone, she said something that stuck with him. She probably doesn’t remember, it was so long ago. He was beating himself up about being a clone, again. He was rambling about how a freak like him shouldn’t even think about having kids. She stopped him mid sentence and grabbed his hands. She looked him right in the eyes and said with pure determination and without a shadow of a doubt that he would be the best father and husband. Dean locks his hazel eyes on her, determination shining clear in his eyes as he grabs her hands.

 

“Forget whatever grandpa said,” Dean says. “There are plenty of options if you really want children. I could even help you.”

 

Rox’s eyes go wide. Then she giggled. Dean pouts. He was being serious. What is so funny about what he said? Pop has been pushing him into being a super scientist for as long as he could remember. Why not embrace his “destiny” and do something nice for a good friend? Do some good with super science. He already has a knack for all things super science. It would get pop off his back about what he is going to do about the “Venture legacy”, so what’s the problem?

 

“What’s so funny?” he asks.  
“Nothing,” she says. “Thank you Dean.”

 

Rox stands up and Dean joins her. She smiles and Dean feels a warm feeling in his chest. He brushes his thumbs across the palms of her hands. The contrast of smooth pads and soft fur feels nice against his callused thumbs. Years of robotic work would do that. A loud knocking on the door interrupts his thinking. They pull apart as the door opens. 

Dr. Billy stands in the doorway, a curious look on his face. They weren’t doing anything wrong. Dean doesn’t know why he feels the need to defend himself, even to himself. Dean chalks it up to his overactive imagination. Dr. Billy announces it’s time for dinner and they follow after him. Rox mentions her dad will meet them there, since the computer lab is right next to the dining hall.

 

Dean hears the front door open and shut. He hears another door open and close with a great deal more force. Peeking out, he sees that Hank’s door is now closed. He sneaks out of his room and leans in close. He can’t quite make out what Hank is saying, but he recognizes the sympathetic bleeps from HELPeR. He hears a squeak from Hank’s bed and jump/stumbles onto the couch. 

He hasn’t been caught snooping in a long time and he doesn’t want to start now. He sees Hank walk out, wiping his face on his sleeve as HELPeR chirps. Dean looks up and moves his legs off the couch so that Hank can sit next to him. He doesn’t remark on the tears. It’s something involving Brittany, no doubt. He hopes they didn’t break up or something. Hank leans back, the couch creaking.

 

“Sirena and I had a fight,” Hank explains. “She said it’s normal for people to fight all the time. I said it’s not and that people can just talk things out. She said some things can’t and.. Next thing I know, we’re fighting about fighting.”

 

Dean nods. He knows that HELPeR was more then likely giving him advice and comfort. HELPeR is humming as he sweeps the spotless living room. Hank leaves to get some air. Dean knows it’s weird, but talking to HELPeR does help Hank think things out. Make sure that nobody else is around, Dean takes a deep breath. And starts rambling about everything that has been on his mind since he got here to the robot. 

HELPeR listens intently and waits for Dean to finish. Dean didn’t expect to go on for so long, but when he was done he was out of breath. HELPeR looks at him curiously as he contemplates what Dean said. He beeps out a single sentence and goes back to sweeping. Dean blinks for a moment, not believing what the robot told him.

 

“That’s it?” he sputters. “Follow your heart?”

 

HELPeR beeps in confirmation and Dean throws himself back on the couch. Follow his heart? That is the robot’s advice? All that he said, and that is his answer. He leaves, shaking his head. There is no way that it is that simple. Nothing is. He stops in his tracks. Why can’t it be that simple? It’s worked for Hank all these years. There is nothing saying it can’t work for him. It can’t hurt to just take things as they are, can it? Filled with new determination, Dean goes to the dining hall. With more confidence then he feels, he gets his plate filled and sits next to Rox.

 

Rox starts but settles down. She chews on her steak, eyes locked forward. Like she is keeping an eye out for something else. Jonas comes in and Dean knows exactly she is keeping an eye out for. Jonas plops at their table. Dean is pushing a green bean on his plate when Jonas starts. He starts talking about all the girls roughly Dean’s age he could introduce him to. 

Dean can see Rox sink lower and lower in her chair. Clearly being made aware of how different she is by Jonas’ determined matchmaking efforts. Dean proclaims that only shallow people care about appearances . Jonas rolls his eyes at Dean. He ruffles Dean’s hair, makes a crack about he will understand when he is older and leaves. Dean straightens his hair, smiling at Roxx. Dean pats Roxxy’s hand, comforting her.

 

Dean looks over and sees his pop looking at him with a most curious look on his face. He looks from Rox and Dean and Mr. White and Dr. Billy. Dean withdraws his hand from Roxxy’s. He goes over to their table and Dean flinches. There is no possible way for it to end well. He can see his pop talking in a hushed tone to the two before heading to the table that Dean and Rox are sitting at. 

The two scientists looks baffled but don’t say anything that Dean can hear. Pop greets the two before continuing his meal. Dean doesn’t want to ruin the pleasant silence and digs into his meal. Rox finishes her meal first and pushes the plate forward. She rests her chin on her hands.

 

“What did you say to my parents?” Rox asks.

 

Dean could swear that pop’s ears turned bright red. Pop stares at his soup before clinking his spoon down on the plate it sits on. He hums and hahs as he cleans his glasses. He puts them back on, looking sheepish.

 

“I said that,” he starts. “While I don’t understand, I want them to be happy and support them.”

 

Dean and Rox share a surprised look. Neither of them expected his pop to pull a 180 so easily. Pop has always been behind the times by quite a bit. From “curing” the gay gene to “borrowing” an orphan’s heart, Rusty Venture has always been morally grey, to say the least.. Neither want to ruin a good thing so they let it drop. 

Changing the subject, Rox brings up an interesting fact she learned about hybrids. Latching onto it, pop starts talking about his experience with cross breeding different species. It’s a subject that Dean is surprisingly able to get into and they have an actually pleasant conversation about super science. Dean can’t remember a super science based conversation he’s had with pop that didn’t end with shouting.

 

The good times didn’t last as long as Dean hoped. The next morning, an announcement about Jonas’ “surprise” party is left on his door. It’s scheduled to take place during dinner in the dining hall. Dean shrugs at the announcement, more concerned about Hank. He didn’t see him at all after dinner. Not even a message on his watch from Hank. Roxxy left him a message saying she was going to be busy getting Bowie checked out to make sure he is making good progress. Dean makes his way to the library and returns a few books for her that she left in his room last night.

 

Dean smiles to himself, a warm feeling spreading at the thought of Roxxy. After they left the dining hall, his pop got dragged by Mr. White and Dr. Billy so they could “catch up”. Rox and Dean understood that to mean get drunk and complain about the past. They go to his room, Hatred and HELPeR watching some new cooking competition with an angry Australian in the living room. It was a bit chilly that night so they cuddled under the sheets as they read their books.

 

Dean finished his book before she finished hes. He didn’t want to disrupt Rox so he waited for her to finish. He spent the time to closer inspect her features. Her nose delicately curved into her almond shaped eyes. He never noticed her freckles. They were contained to her cheeks and nowhere else. She had a tiny handful of freckles on her nose that were a few shades darker than the others. He didn’t even realize he was staring until she made a noise. 

 

He was embarrassed, of course but she didn’t say anything about it. She just finished her book and put it on top of his. They hear his pop come home and figure it’s time for her to do the same. Dean bids her goodnight and went back to his rather lonely bed. He’d never thought of a bed as lonely before. He didn’t pay much more mind to that line of thought before falling asleep, a task easier said than done.

 

Dean doesn’t see Rox or Hank at all that morning or the rest of the week. Both were busy “doing things”. He kept himself entertained with some books and helping HELPeR with Sprinkles. Helping take care of the sand beast helped the time fly by thankfully. Before he knows it, it’s time for him to get dressed for the party Jonas was “planning” for his colleague. He meets up with Rox and they walk to the dining hall together. He can’t help notice how many people are commenting on them. The tone is generally positive and Dean can’t help but feel more confident.

 

They sit at a table and place their order with the waiter. Dean is impressed that Jonas was able to get this organized on such short notice. The banners and decorations are tasteful and appropriate, two words he has yet to use to describe anything his grandfather is responsible for. Speaking of the man, he comes over, shaking his hips to a jazzy number played by a band situated in a corner of the dining hall. 

The dance floor is filled with people. Including Hank and Sirena who appear to have made up. Jonas places his drink on their table and wiggles his finger to the music. Dean doesn’t say anything, acutely aware of where his pop picked up his dancing “skills” now. Jonas looks at Dean and then frowns at Rox before turning back to look at Dean.

 

“Why don’t you get up and dance with a real girl, son?” Jonas says.

 

Dean looks at him with disdain. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see a pained smile on Rox’s face. Dean can tell that what his grandfather said really hurt Roxx’s feelings. She fiddles with the small pink umbrella sitting in her drink. Facing his grandfather, he crosses his arms.

 

“I’m fine,” he states. “I can’t dance anyway.”  
“Suit yourself,” Jonas says as he saunters off.

 

Dean is glad that he left without raising more of a fuss. The power of booze, as his pop would say. With his grandfather away, he turns to face Rox. The pained smile is gone now. She still looks miserable toying with the tiny umbrella sitting in her fruit punch. Roxxy is usually so optimistic and cheerful, that it hurts Dean to see her like this. He taps the table, trying to get her attention. He can tell she is lost in her own musings.

 

“Hey, Roxxy,“ he says.

 

The unfamiliar nickname catches her attention. She drops the umbrella into the cup. Blushing, Roxxy fishes the umbrella out and lays it on the table. She dries her hand on a napkin before the punch has a chance to stain her cream fur. Her cheeks reddening, she turns to look at Dean. Without thinking, he wraps his hand around hers. She gasps at the unexpected contact. 

Dean notices a faint dampness but is more enraptured by her hand. Her cream coloured fur is silky to the touch. Her hand reminds him of a plush toy he used to have when he was young. He can’t remember whatever happened to it. Hank probably ruined it with some hare brained scheme of his.

 

“You’re a real girl to me,” Dean says, catching her off guard. “I’m done with this party. How about we go back to my place and hang out?”

 

She nods and Dean feels his heart skip a beat. They get up and push in their chairs. Not bothering to tell their parents they are leaving, the scamper out of the dining hall. Nobody stopped the boy adventurer or cat girl from leaving the party. Hand in hand, they couldn’t help giggle at the bewildered expressions as they dashed through the halls. They make it to his place in record time. The plop onto the couch, laughing happily as they try and catch their breath. Roxxy recovers first and bounces off the couch and fiddles with the entertainment center nestled in the corner of the room. Dean props himself to get a better view of what she is doing.

 

Old styled waltz music plays from the music player. She turns to face him, a cheeky grin on her face. He gets up from the couch and offers her his hand. She takes his hand, and courtesies. The formalities out of the way, Dean leads the waltz, a change of pace for them both. He only steps on her feet once during the waltz. The music changes tempo to a slower song. They start slow dancing, swaying to the music.

 

Dancing with Roxxy in the living room, Dean feels a strange feeling in his chest. It feels kind of familiar and makes him feel warm and tingly. Like he ate a bunch of butterflies or those fizzy candies that his brother used to be obsessed with. She smiles at him, eyes shining so carefree and happy. A look reserved just for him. The feeling in his chest intensifies when he sees her looking so happily at him. Twirling her around the room, the room is filled with her laughter.

 

He ruminates on this warm fuzzy feeling that he now associates with Roxxy. It’s not a bad feeling and he kinda likes it. It’s uncomfortable, but in an almost pleasant kind of way. It’s kind of like what he felt when he first saw Triana at the compound, only stronger. He is always happy to see Roxanne.

And when they say good bye, he feels a sharp pang in his chest. Then it hits him. He knows what this feeling is. All those books he’s read described it so many times, he feels embarrassed he didn’t recognize it sooner. How did it take him so long to realize he had fallen in love with Roxxy? The song ends, and it’s quiet in the living room. Smiling, Dean tries to find a way to break the awkward silence. A sudden thought strikes him and he has to voice it.

 

“I love you,” he says, amazed. “And-and I want you to be my girlfriend.“

 

She freezes, eyes widening in shock at his sudden confession. He didn’t mean to just blurt it out like that. But now that he thinks about it, it’s true. Pulling her closer, he laughs jubilantly. But she is still silent, Afraid he did something wrong, he pulls back to look at her. She avoids his gaze.

 

“Roxxy, what’s wrong?” Dean asks. “You can tell me.”

 

He lifts her chin up, making her meet his gaze. Her eyes are full of fear and mistrust. She refuses to make eye contact with him, eyes darting to the side. He sees tears prick at the corners of her large grey blue eyes. 

Wiping them away with his thumb, he doesn’t know what is happening. Maybe she doesn’t feel the same way and now he’s put her in an awkward position. Maybe THAT is what his grandfather was hinting at? He can feel his heart beat faster. He swallows, trying to calm down the panic he is feeling.

 

“Roxxy,” he whispers. “It’s okay if you don’t love me too. We can still be friends, right?”  
“But I do love you!” Roxxy proclaims. “I’d love to be your girlfriend.”

 

Blue meeting hazel, she pulls him forward. She tilts her head and kisses him, melding their lips together. He lowers his arms around her hips, pulling her closer. This kiss is nothing like any he has experienced before. The romance novels he read understated what it would be like. He’s kissed girls before, but this is different. It’s like he found a part of him he never knew was missing until he found it.

Dean knows at most the kiss lasts for a few seconds but it feels so much longer. He can hear her purr. He tastes strawberries and something almost spicy on her breath. A large “AHEM” interrupts them. They turn and see Jonas Venture Senior standing in front of them. Her demeanor changes instantly. Roxxy slips from his grasp, stepping away from him. She looks down at her feet. He can see her tremble in fear.

 

“And what do you think you were doing?” he asks, arms crossed.  
“Nothing sir,” she whispers.  
“That didn’t look like nothing to me,” he says.  
“Sorry sir,” she whispers.

 

Dean looks at his grandfather, eyes narrowed. The way Roxxy acts around Jonas reminds him of how that manservant acted around Underbheit. She is trembling, clearly scared of what Jonas might do to her. He grabs Roxxy’s hand in his, pulling her to his side. She looks at him, startled. He smiles at her, reassuring her of his feelings. That he will protect her, no matter what. He turns to look at his grandfather. 

 

“Grandpa, why don’t you like Roxxy?” he asks.  
“It’s not that I don’t like her,” he says. “It’s just…. Dean, just look at her.”  
“I have,” Dean states.  
“That doesn’t bother you?” he asks, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable.  
“Should it?” Dean asks angrily.

 

Dean doesn’t raise his voice often and it caught Jonas off guard long enough for Rusty to enter. Rusty walks in and looks at Dean and Roxxy holding hands and his confused father. Dean hears Roxxy chatter under her breath. She has trouble controlling her more “cat like” instincts when she is scared. He rubs soft circles on her hand, trying to comfort her.

 

“Dad,” Rusty asks. “What’s going on?”  
“Son,” he says. “I’m glad you are here. Talk sense into Dean.”  
“About what?” Rusty and Dean say at the same time.  
“Rusty, I saw him kissing this half breed,” he explains.  
“Dean!” Rusty says with alarm. “I taught you better than that!”

Dean glares at his dad with instant venom in his eyes. He pulls Roxxy under his arm to try and protect. Like a good boyfriend would. Before he has a chance to say anything, Rusty points at him.

“You keep your personal business in your room where nobody has to see any of that,” Rusty says. “And no funny business.”  
"Rusty, you can’t seriously approve of Dean being with this,” he searches for the right word. “Thing.”  
“Dad, Rox is not a thing,” Rusty states. “She is a nice young girl who happens to be half cat. If she and Dean want to be together, I’m not going to stand in their way.”

“But what about the Venture legacy?” he asks.  
“What about it?” Rusty asks.  
“Rusty, she’s a hybrid,” he elaborates. “A freak of nature. She is most likely infertile, like mules or zonkeys.”

 

“Even if we can’t have kids, so what?” Dean interjects. “Your stupid legacy has caused us nothing but problems. Pop has been trying to clean the mess YOU left for twenty years. He has been getting chased around by super villains BECAUSE of you his entire life and what does he have to show for it? A cartoon from the seventies that completely ignores what you did to him? A chemical dependence and a guy in a butterfly costume making his life worse? A bunch of crappy adventures under his belt? None of his hair and neither of his original kidneys? Really bad memories that keep him up most nights? Hell of a legacy you left us.”

 

Rusty looks at his father awkwardly. Nothing Dean said was wrong. Jonas leaves without a word, slamming the door behind him. Dean looks at the cat girl hiding under his arm. Rubbing her arm, she leans into his touch. Dean lays his head on top of hers. 

His dad coughs, raising an eyebrow. Dean blushes and pulls away from her. He already forgot his pop said personal business kept in personal places. It’s clearly getting late. She whispers a hasty goodbye, kissing his cheek before heading home. Before Dean has a chance to go to his room, his dad grabs his shoulder. He adopts an almost paternal expression.

 

“Dean,” he says. “Remember what I taught you. If she bleeds, she can breed?”

 

Dean’s cheeks instantly turn red and he shakes off Rusty’s hand on his shoulder. He goes to his room without a word. Tossing himself on his bed, he groans. Why did his dad have to ruin what could have been a heartwarming moment with that oh so subtle reminder? Picking himself up from the mattress, he changes into his pajamas. 

He looks at his communicator watch with surprise. TWO messages for him? He wonders what they could be. Checking them, one is from Hank declaring how drunk he is. Dean can hear Sirena talking to Hank off screen, trying to spare him some embarrassment. Hatred will deal with that tomorrow. The other is from Roxxy. He sees she is in her room, a nervous smile on her face. She is in her nightgown and it’s clear she is about to go to bed. He grins, happy to see that she has calmed down.

 

“Hey, Dean it’s me,” she whispers. “My parents want to talk to you tomorrow. Thought you would like the heads up. Good night.”

 

She blows a kiss to the screen and the message clicks off. Dean can feel his ears heat up. Tomorrow is going to be interesting. He should get to sleep so that he is alert and prepared for tomorrow. Whatever her parents have in store can’t be good if she felt the need to warn him. It can’t be too bad since they are friends with his pop, but it can’t hurt to be make a good impression. He hears Hatred return, followed shortly by the drunken yodeling of Hank.

He hears pop brag about how “he was right about those two” and Dean rolls his eyes. His pop always brags about “knowing” everything, especially when he had zero clue about anything. Hatred will indulge him for now, dealing with Hank a bigger concern. That or HELPeR will. Either way, it’s something Dean won’t need to deal with for now. Placing his glasses in their case, he rolls over and works on getting a good night’s sleep for tomorrow.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> News, both good and bad spreads fast on the small colony.

Dean wakes to the sound of pounding on his door. Reaching around, he puts on his glasses before telling whoever is at the door to come in. He sees Mr. White come into his room. Dean remembers Roxxy’s warning and brushes his auburn hair out of his face. Dean hops out of bed and promptly falls over, blood rushing to his head. Not a great start. Picking himself up, he thought he was over the falling when he got up too fast. Looking at Mr. White, he realizes he looks bemused and kind of worried.

 

Brushing himself off, Dean tries to look a little less disheveled. He sits on his bed and puts his hands in his lap. The picture of respectable young man, he hopes. Mr. White leans against the door and Dean tries to not stare at the leopard print glasses he is wearing. It’s the first time he has seen him wearing them and they are just as weird as Roxxy said they are. They do look like they escaped the eighties, the mismatched pajamas the albino man is wearing not helping “his look”.

 

“Rox told us about last night’s,” he says. “Events.”

 

Dean flinches, expecting the worst. Mr. White is notoriously protective of Roxxy, more so than Dr. Billy.He remembers the time Dermott threw Rox’s boots in a tree and she got stuck there for an hour. He didn’t even know Mr. White could yell that loud. Or that long. Or that he knew so many Italian swear words. Not that Dean can speak Italian, but the tone was definitely a swearing tone. Dean realizes Mr. White was talking this entire time he was zoning out. He shakes his head, trying to clear out the fog.

 

“I know you just got up, “Mr. White says. "Just, don’t hurt her all right?”  
“Yes sir,” Dean says.

 

Mr. White smiles and leaves after ruffling his hair. Dean pouts, straightening his hair after Mr. White leaves. Dean feels relieved that it went well with Mr. White. All he has to worry about now is Dr. Billy. He doesn’t know what to expect and that is what worries him most. He gets dressed and brushes his hair. Rox tries to assure him over breakfast it will be fine. Dean isn’t so sure but he takes her word for it.

 

They head back to her place for a few minutes, needing to pick up a few things before heading off to do “couple things” as she calls it. She has a few books to return to the library she needs to pick up. She puts them in her bag. She puts her bag on and grins at him. He heads to his room and grabs his books to return as well. He puts them in her bag before she can read the titles. She grabs his hand and they walk hand in hand to the library. She returns all the books to the librarian in charge. He reads the titles of her books and can’t help the smirk. He but doesn’t say anything as he checks his books back in. They find a quiet corner and a couple of books to read.

 

Dean swallows hard when he sees Billy walk into the library. His one green eye locks onto them and Dean closes his book. Preparing for the worst, he takes a deep breath. Tapping Roxxy’s shoulder, he points at her father. She perks up and closes her book as well. Dr. Billy goes to their table and sits across from them, as Dean expected. Dean feels Roxxy rub her thumb across the back of his hand under the table. 

Dr. Billy places a bag in front of them without a word. He puts his hands on the table, clasping them together. Almost like he is preparing himself for something unpleasant but necessary. Dean doesn’t know what it could possibly be that would make Dr. Billy so uncomfortable.

 

“I know neither of you want to hear this,” Dr. Billy says. “But if you two are going to be together, you need to be safe.”

 

Dean watches with horror as Billy pours out the contents of the bag. The bag isn’t holding much, but the contents are deeply embarrassing to have out in public. A box of latex free condoms and a plain bottle of hypoallergenic lubricant, along with a couple of pamphlets on STDs and the like. 

 

Dr. Billy explains the contents as Dean mentally shrinks away. He may be naive, but he knows what those items are for. Rox listens with rapt attention as Dean pretends to be anywhere else. The discussion could not possibly end soon enough but it eventually does. Billy leaves the bag as a gift for them and Dean stuffs it into Roxxy’s bag, cheeks flaring red.

 

Besides the minor interruption from Dr. Billy, Roxxy and Dean enjoy reading in the library. He ties to think about anything besides Dr. Billy’s visit. To little success. Dean isn’t able to hide his discomfort from Roxxy, who suggests they check on Bowie. Dean nods gratefully, putting away his book on the shelf where it belongs.

 

Heading to the pen hand in hand, they happen to run into Hank and Sirena. Hank grins at him, Shooting a thumbs up before leaving, Dean can’t help roll his eyes at how goofy his brother is. Roxxy takes a step closer to Dean and he smiles at her, kissing her forehead.

They continue to their destination, Dean feeling a puff of pride as Roxxy wraps her tail around their intertwined hands. She seems much more assured to Dean, less worried now. Like a large weight is off her mind now. They check on Bowie in the pens. They see that he is doing fine, so they leave him to play with the other kits. Dr. Ventore informs them they can pick up the kit later that day, Bowie doing remarkably well.

 

They go to the entertainment center to grab a puzzle to put together. A happy basket of kittens with many coloured bits is a nice challenge, so they grab that one and get it poured out on a table. He props the box up so they have it as a reference. He and Rox discuss tomorrow’s plans as they piece the puzzle together. 

A loud cough gets their attention away from the puzzle. Looking up, they see his grandfather standing in front of their table. A tall, willowy girl is under his arm, a nervous look on her face. Round glasses are perched on her wide paint stained nose. Grey overalls hide a shirt Dean can see is covered in paint splatters and butterfly patches. Dean reaches under the table for Rox’s hand and grasps it within his.

 

“Have you met Lizzy, Dean?” Jonas asks. “She likes those giant boy detective books too.”

 

Dean nods, focusing on a corner piece of the puzzle. Clicking them together, he ignores his grandfather trying to sell Lizzy to him. He knew Jonas would do something like this. Rubbing circles on Roxxy’s hand, the fur tickles his fingers. He hears Jonas pause and looks up. He looks back down, not able to stand that smug grin of his any longer.

 

“How is your girlfriend?” Dean asks, nonchalantly. “She’s into archaeology, right?”  
“Oh!” Lizzy chirps as she slides into a chair. “Yes, she is.”

 

Roxx invites Lizzy to join them, an invitation she accepts quickly. Dean, Rox and Lizzy have a lively discussion as they solve the puzzle. Dean smirks when his grandfather finally leaves, foiled. The three finish the puzzle. They disassemble the puzzle and put it back when finished. Lizzy heads off, leaving the two alone. Dean’s watch beeps. He sees that it’s his pop so he answers his watch.

 

It seems that Jaal approached one of the junior scientists while they were taking a sand beast to explore the planet. They told her they needed to see Dean as soon as possible. The scientist was shaken but did as the Martian told her. Dean grabs Roxxy’s hand and they head out of the colony. They see Jaal rubbing the tummy of a round sand beast. The beast rolls over, drooling happily before waddling off. 

Jaal brushes his many hands on his pelt before standing. Dean remembers hearing from Roxxy that colonists were the ones that made the sand beasts. He even heard Jonas telling a group of children about the first sand beasts cultivated, as he called it. The combination of cat, dog, hare and radiation leading to the sand beasts after many generations of trial and error. 

 

“I thought the colonists made the sand beasts?” Dean asks.  
The sand beast walks over to him, rubbing their face on his leg before heading into Jaal’s cave nearby. The grey streaking the brown, gold and black fur and the chewed on ears shows the beast’s age, as does the round stomach of the well fed beast. Jaal chuckles before realizing that Dean was serious.  
“That is a fairy tale,” Jaal says. “The sand beasts have wandered these sands for as long as we have.”

 

Jaal gestures towards the entire planet. Dean nods, not questioning the experienced Martian. Jonas making things up is par for the course. He brings up the message he was given and Jaal nods. Jaal tells Dean about the increased activity from the “Separatist” Martians. They appear to be receiving some help from somebody inside the colony. Who is helping them is a mystery, but Jaal wanted Dean to keep an eye out for suspicious activity within the colony. The pair nod and head back.

Dean keeps his head down, troubled. It’s too soon to be able to tell if his grandfather is involved. Dean knows that Jonas has done plenty of questionable things in the past. And he doesn’t seem to have changed in the twenty years he’s been on Mars. But what benefit would turning Martians against the colonists be there for his grandfather?

Dean can’t think of any for now. He can hear Roxxy rumbling as she swings their held hands in the iron rich air. Suddenly, she squeaks and frees her hand from his. She pulls out her watch and types out a message. A reminder for later, he is sure. He attempts a smile. If Roxxy can be so carefree even with all the weird stuff happening, so can he.

 

Dean stops and he feels Roxxy’s arm tug on his. She tugs on his hand before reclaiming it. He has no idea what couples do. He knows that those books he has read are more then likely inaccurate. Arguing all the time is what he does with his pop. And he has only fought with Roxxy maybe twice, and they didn’t start making out after either time.

Rox meows in concern and he feels bad for worrying her. He isn’t sure how to explain why he stopped walking to her. He feels silly for worrying. Maybe she is just as clueless as he is and asking would be good for them both. He holds her other hand, turning her to face him.

 

“What do couples do, anyway?” he asks. “Those romance novels make it sound like it’s just a lot of fighting and sex.”  
“Uhmm,” Roxxy starts. “Well, it seems the same as best friends but with more kissing and loud moaning. Like, lots more.”

 

Roxxy gets an uncomfortable look on her face. It dawns on Dean she is probably thinking about her parents and works to change the subject to less awkward things. He mentions the “Tubby tabby” sand beast that appears to be Jaal’s personal pet. Roxxy noticeably perks up and they spend the rest of the walk talking about the beast with the unusual pelt. Seeing one with a tri-coloured colour scheme instead of either solid or spotted is an interesting sight, especially one of such advanced age. Figuring out how the Martians take care of them could help them figure out if they can survive on Earth.

 

They get back to the colony and tell his pop about what Jaal wanted. Dean is secretly grateful that Jonas wasn’t there. His pop swears to keep an eye out for any weird behavior and anything out of the normal. Pop mentions that Hank left a surprise in his room and Dean has to bite back a groan. Surprises from Hank are rarely good ones. They are usually either Batman themed or end with Dean getting hurt. Dean doesn’t need to relive the Murphy bed incident. Or the Batman concert at two in the morning.

 

Roxxy promises to accompany him and make sure he doesn’t end up getting hurt by Hank’s attempts at humor. They both know that Hank means well and his heart is in the right place. If only the same could be said for his brain. Wanting to get the hijinks out of the way, Roxxy and Dean head to Dean’s room. They pass by HELPeR who is walking his sand beast. 

Sprinkles sniffs Dean’s pants so hard Dean was worried they would get torn off by the beast. Eventually, Roxxy shoos the beast off and they continued uninterrupted. Hatred is asleep on the couch, a book on the latest in army weaponry on his chest. The two tip toe into Dean’s room, prepared for the weirdest.

 

Dean opens his door slowly. Nothing pops out and no loud noise assaults him. Roxxy flips on the light for him. Looking around, he doesn’t see anything different until Roxxy points out a small box on his bed. He walks into the room and grabs the small box. It’s tied with a baby blue ribbon and the box is a plain cardboard brown colour. Shaking it, he hears a metallic clinking inside. Sighing, he unties the ribbon so he can see what’s inside. Pulling off the top, a chunk of fabric covering whatever is inside it. He pulls out the fabric bundle and can feel two pieces of something metal within. Pulling them out, he chuckles when he realizes what they are.

 

Hanging them out of the box so Roxxy can see them he feels his heart swell at the adoring look on her face. He hands her the one Hank made for her. She tries to tie the small pink heart with her name carved into it but the thread is too fine for her hands. Dean puts the matching red bow with his name on it in his pocket and helps her put it on. 

The small pink heart proclaims “Roxanne” right between her collarbones, standing out against the cream of her fur. Dean tries to tie the matching red bow with his name around his wrist but Roxxy grabs it and puts it around his neck. He sighs, letting her have her fun. Tapping his fingers against the small charm, this is a rather pleasant surprise from Hank.

 

Rox points at the clock on his wall and he furrows his brow. She rolls her eyes playfully and heads out the door. Dean tags along, curious about what his girlfriend is up to. He grins to himself. Just thinking the words makes him so happy. He knows it’s all chemical reactions and brain chemistry and whatever his pop blabbered on about. 

But it’s still nice to have a special someone. Dean follows Roxxy to her place and only then does he remembers Bowie. Roxxy heads into her room and he sees a prepared bottle to feed sitting on the table. She must have texted her parents to get Bowie set for her while they were out.

 

Bowie is calling out to Roxxy the moment she walks into the room. She picks up the kit with one hand and checks the bottle with the other hand. She deems it suitable and pokes Bowie in the nose with the end of the bottle until he latches onto it. He greedily suckles on the full bottle as Roxxy sits on her bed. Dean sits next to her on the bed, feeling it would be awkward to stand and wait for the kit to finish. The kit’s tail is wagging cheerfully, his little paws scrambling at the bottle. The bottle rapidly empties into the hungry kit. Once the bottle is empty, she lifts the kit from her lap and she hands Bowie to him. She goes to clean out the plastic bottle in the bathroom sink.

 

Dean holds the kit as he lays in his lap, belly full of milky goodness. The kit attempts to bury his face into Dean’s knee. He adjusts Bowie so the kit has his face on his shoulder. He rubs the kit’s back, not sure what else to do. The kit catches him by surprise and belches before laying his small face back on his shoulder. He hears Roxxy giggle from the bathroom at his yelp of shock. Holding the kit in front of him, he watches the kit blink before falling asleep in his arms.

 

Dean looks at the kit while Roxxy cleans up. He can hear her putting the bottle away and getting the modified bottle warmer put away. It’s an old biscuit warmer from the dining hall with a heating pad and towel on it. Keeping it set up too long risks the towel catching fire according to Roxxy and it’s best to put it away as soon as it’s not needed. Bowie is not too fussy with the temperature but it helps him from getting an upset stomach if it’s warmed up. But that isn’t what is worrying him right now.

 

Looking at the kit with his little tongue poking out, Dean pushes the pink nub back into the kit’s mouth. The kit starts sucking on his fingertip, still. Dean doesn’t remove his index for fear of waking the kit. The kit’s tongue pushes his finger out of his mouth, freeing his hand after some timr. Dean remembers how he promised to help Roxxy have children. Looking at the kit sleeping in his arms, he feels intense fear. More for the small helpless life in his clueless arms then for himself. 

Dean hasn’t been able to keep himself alive, what chance would a small baby have? Roxxy comes back into room and picks up Bowie from his arms. Dean puts his hands on his knees and tries to not panic as she settles the tiny kit into his box. Roxxy sits next to him and pulls him close. She brushes his hair out of his face.

 

“I know you are thinking about your promise,” she whispers. “About children and stuff. And I want you to know that everything will be all right. You would be a great dad, if and when it happens.”

“But what if I’m not?” he asks. “Or what if I am not able to help you have a child until you are too old to care for a child?”

“We have plenty of time to worry about such things,” Roxx assures. “Not to make things weird, but you’ve died a lot and I was grown in a tube so our ages are just numbers. ”

“But,” Dean says. “Those numbers mean something. I mean, I can go buy cigarettes now and last year I couldn’t. I mean, I can live in my own now but still can’t rent a car. ”

“Dean,” Roxx starts. “Using Mars years, I am 8 years old. Using Earth time, I am 17 years old.”

Dean looks at her, lost on the math she is using. Last time he saw her on Earth, she was planning her 16th birthday out when the compound burned down. Then they moved to New York and then the whole Mars thing happened. Still is happening, actually. But that wouldn’t be an entire year plus, even with Hatred “driving like a grandma” the entire way. How is she getting 17 years when he just had his 18th birthday here not even a month ago?

“I was here six Mars months before you arrived,” she explains before smiling. “See what I mean by numbers not having much say?”

Dean nods, unable to argue with her reasoning. Different planets, different time movements and things like that. It does make him feel a little better. He calls his pop and asks for permission to stay at Roxxy’s for the night. Dr. Billy happened to be with him and makes him promise to behave himself before he is allowed to spend the night. His pop looks uncertain but consents. Pop comes by to drop off some pajamas for Dean and pulls him aside. He tells Dean about a missing stack of documents dealing with the sand beast that passed. Luckily, he kept a copy in his desk back at home. It’s probably nothing, but it was strange nonetheless.

 

Dean informs Roxxy about it and she agrees with the oddness of the missing documents. He writes it down in the small notebook he keeps with him and Roxxy shares hers with him. Mr. White knocks on her door, letting them know they are heading off for dinner. They tag along with Mr. White and they talk about what they were up to that day. He went and gave them privacy and sits with Dr. Billy and his pop. Roxxy and Dean discuss "the case” over dinner but are still no closer to solving the mystery. They headed back after thanking Hank for his gift. While Dean got changed into his pajamas, Roxxy got Bowie’s dinner sorted out.

 

Dean sits on the bed and watches as Roxx mixes the formula for Bowie. Bowie rolls in his bed, kicking his feet in the air. Roxxy gets the bottle to temperature and hands it to him. She picks up Bowie from his bed. Dean looks at the kit and the bottle and Roxxy. She positions the kit in his arms and shows him how to hold Bowie comfortably. 

He remembers that she had to nudge Bowie with the bottle to get him to feed. Remembering that tidbit, he manages to feed the kit with no fuss. The kit even burps and falls asleep quickly after finishing his bottle. Laying the kit back into his box, he tags along as Roxxy shows him how to get the bottle clean the quickest. He felt much better knowing that Roxx knew what she was doing and trusted him.

 

After Dean got his teeth brushed and rinsed, he helps put the bottle warming set up away. He helps Roxxy get Bowie’s bed set for the night so he doesn’t end up falling out of the box in the middle of the night. A simple hamster cage with no bottom set over him is all it takes. He is close enough that if he cries, they will hear him. Roxxy assures him that Bowie is a well behaved kit, even for a sand beast. Dean is enthralled by Roxxy’s talking about Bowie. Dean can easily imagine her being just as enthusiastic about their children and their accomplishments.

 

Brushing a bang out of her face, Dean kisses her. Successfully, too. Roxxy blushes and giggles before going into the small bathroom to change into her nightgown. Dean is a gentleman and doesn’t try and sneak a peek, unlike certain half brothers. He instead gets the blankets fluffed and his stuffed giraffe settled with her stuffed rabbit/bear plush. 

Dean gets himself settled into the bed and waits for her to return. He puts his glasses on her desk, certain they will be safe. She comes back after brushing her teeth and brushing her hair nice and soft. She snuggles up close to him and sighs happily as she rubs her cheeks on his arm. He breathes in the fresh citrus tinged scent of her strawberry blonde hair.

 

Dean wraps his arms around her. He feels her whiskers tickle his arm as she settles back into his arms. Dean didn’t even realize he fell asleep wrapped around her until she sneaked out of his arms to use the bathroom. Dean snickered at himself but quieted as Roxxy slipped back into the bed. She kisses his nose delicately and lays back into his arms. Dean smiles as she purrs in her sleep. Seeing her so happy after being so miserable for so long does them both a world of good.

 

Dean pulls her close, unable to believe he could have ever been this happy. Not even back at the new Ventech building did he believe it was possible. He hears her breathing even out. Dean takes the quiet time to reflect on his cute girlfriend. Her tiny pink nose twitching in her sleep. The smattering of freckles dotting her fuzzy cheeks. Dean lays his chin on top of her head, for once looking forward to what tomorrow has to offer them.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More details of the mystery are uncovered as are plans by less then well meaning persons along with hidden anxieties.

Dean jolts awake, an alarm piercing the air. Roxxy rolls out of bed and goes to investigate. Dean flails at the desk for his glasses. Exploring the desk with his hand, he finds them. He slips them on and sees the terrified sand beast in the cage. His small paws are scrambling against the cage, trying to get away from the noise. 

He feels pity for the kit and frees him from the cage. The kit immediately shuffles to the edge of the desk as far from the noise as he can. Dean scoops up the kit before he can fall. The kit yowls in his hands, wanting freedom. Dean puts the kit in his pajama pocket, not sure what else he can do. Being able to burrow his face somewhere warm must have helped the kit settle for he is goes quiet. Dean sits on the bed and sighs in relief.

 

Roxxy comes back into the room once the alarm stops. Dean gestures at the kit in his arms. He is reminded of a pet rat with how Bowie is. Course, Bowie will get many times bigger than even the largest rodent. The capybara, if the learning bed is to be believed. Roxxy frees the kit from his pocket and goes to get his breakfast sorted out. Dean gets dressed as she gets the bottle ready for Bowie. 

Dean offers to feed the kit while she gets dressed. She looks concerned for a moment, weighing his offer. Eventually, she takes his offer and hands him the bottle and the kit. Bowie drinks his bottle with no fuss. Bowie does end up burping up some of the formula onto his shirt. Roxxy gave him a warm cloth to clean it off and the shirt was good as new.

 

Roxxy handles getting the kit back in his bed. From what Roxxy told him about Bowie, he is about a couple of months old now. It’s only been a couple days since she got him but Bowie does look a bit plumper and sleeker now. It’s too soon to know for sure if Roxxy’s care is having any effects on the kit, but it makes her happy. 

Dean isn’t going to ruin that for her. She resets the cage on top and moves the box to the floor. She takes off the cage once he is safely on the floor. While setting the box for Bowie she explains she has been litter training him. It seems keeping him in a familiar area helps. She believes he will be fully litter trained by the end of the month at this rate.

 

The kit taken care of, the couple head out with her parents. Dr. Billy has just finished scolding Mr. White for being too lazy to go to the smoking area and setting off the smoke alarms. Dean mentions he didn’t even know her dad smoked tobacco. She tugs him down and whispers into his ear and he feels his ears heat up. He thought that his pop was just poking fun at Mr. White when he called him DJ Stoner at home school prom. He lets the matter drop over pancakes and French toast. 

All Dean has to do is go and find out more about what happened with the sand beasts and if his pop has news on the disappearance of the sand beast documents. He is free after that. As long as nothing else comes up, of course. Roxxy mentions she promised to help her dad in the security lab for the day. Dean is going to be on his own today, which isn’t a big problem. Pop shut the door behind him. Pop grabs his shoulders and looks manic. Dean is worried until pop starts laughing.

 

“I found out how the sand beast died!” he proclaims.  
“We already know she ingested Osmonite,” Dean says.  
“But we didn’t know the source, did we?” he says.

 

Dean has to give pop that much. He had been wracking his brain over how the sand beast got a hold of such a rare and valuable material. Pop pulls him over to a lab table, taking advantage of his moment of confusion. He explains how the Osmonite was of a really high purity, far too high to be natural. 

He pulls up a few tabs on his computer and points out the now decoded pages from the Martians. He points out how the Martians that Dean has been conversing with use a lower grade that is found naturally on the planet. The “Rebel” Martians use a more refined form. They know this because every assault by them resulted in higher levels of Osmonite then they found on any other Martian.

 

Dean goes to touch the sample on the table when pop swats his hand away from it. Pop explains that he discovered more than what he thought he would investigating the sand beast’s death. It turns out that the refined Osmonite has far worse effects than the natural material. Just touching it can cause serious problems. Pop grabs a file from his desk and hands it to him. Dean opens it and grimaces. He sees pictures of the deceased sand beast. He can see why Dr. Ventore didn’t want them to see it.

 

The higher concentration of Osmonite caused the sand beast to violently hemorrhage upon ingestion. They found her outside the colony. A scientist coming back from patrol of the border of the colony found her. Scavengers had already gotten to the body and were gathered as well. Quarantine protocols were followed for the gathered animals. The few animals that did scavenge from the deceased animal died within a few days. The animals have all been examined and confirmed to have died from the Osmonite in the sand beast.

 

Pop is waiting for Dr. Ventore to confirm his suspicions of the sand beast. Some of the samples collected were bones too fragile to belong to anything on the planet. Pop believes that the purer Osmonite also can cause miscarriages, and rather violent ones too. But it’s just a “pet theory” of his until Dr. Ventore can confirm from the samples the beast was indeed pregnant and the bone fragments were from her unborn kits. Pop doesn’t have anything more to add for Dean and goes back to work.

 

Dean goes straight to the library and finds a free computer to type his notes on. Getting them better organized should help him figure the case out. He thought picking a computer out of the way would help free him from distractions. He didn’t count on Hank and Brittany to enter the library and be so close to him. They probably aren’t even aware of him, they are so lost in their own world. Hearing them coo endearments to one another makes Dean’s teeth grind.

 

Dean hears Hank telling Brittany that old “One in a million” line and he abandons his work. He will just have to find a different way to keep his notes organized. He wishes he knew where that red notebook went. He didn’t even realize the notebook was gone until this morning when he went to transcribe his notes into it. 

HELPeR probably threw it away when he was cleaning. Good thing he never threw out any of his original notes. He crumpled up the papers but never cleared them from his desk. He’ll see if Hank kept his and use that for note keeping instead. He’ll ask later when Hank isn’t “Busy” as their pop would call it. He hopes he and Roxxy are never like that.

 

What Dean overheard Hank saying is sticking with Dean. He doesn’t know how Hank can say things like that without realizing the implications. They are just clones with fake memories. Nothing special about either of them. He knows that when Hank found out they were clones he was excited. Dean is still trying to adjust to it. He goes to his room, and lays down on his bed. He knows he said he was going to focus on the case at hand, but now he has a different concern on his mind. A more personal sort of concern he didn’t even consider.

 

Looking at his hands in front of his face, Dean has no idea what Roxxy sees in him. Or why she so readily agreed to be his girlfriend or why she helps him so much. Maybe it was pity? Or worse. What if pop was behind it, thinking that he was being helpful. Putting his head in his hands, the knock on his door is very unwelcome. It doesn’t sound like his pop or Hatred, so he just yells them in. Not like he remembered to lock the door behind himself. In hops Roxxy, a happy grin on her face. Taking his head out of his hands, he can’t help blurt out the first thing that comes out of his mouth.

 

“Why do you like me?” he asks.  
Roxxy tilts her head, clearly not expecting that right out of the gate. Dean wants to take the question back but it’s too late now.

 

“Why are you asking?” she asks.  
“It’s just that,” Dean starts. “What do you see in me? I mean, I’m not cool or talented like Hank is. I’m a weak nerd. And not even a good looking one.”

 

Dean pauses, trying not to over share his concerns. Roxxy steps forward and kisses him. Her lips linger on his for a moment. She leans back, pleased with herself no doubt. He touches his lips in bewilderment. Roxxy sits next to him and grabs his hands within hers. He looks into her deep blue grey eyes.

 

“I have loved you since we met,” Roxxy states. “The first time and every time after that. You are sweet and smart and brave. Even when things get scary or spooky you always know what to do. You do your best and never treated me less for being a cat girl.”  
“Why would I treat you differently?” he asks.  
“Well, I’m a freak,” she says. “And it shows. I mean, how many normal girls have a tail and fuzzy little hands?”

 

She rubs her thumbs on his hands, showcasing her point with a weak grin. Dean remembers Dermott making jokes about her having a better mustache then him. He tugs her close, hugging her. He wraps his hands around her head, rubbing her soft and fluffy ears. This started as trying to assuage his concerns and turned into him consoling her.

 

“You are the most beautiful, unique and smart girl I have ever met,” he proclaims. “You smell super pretty and have really soft hands. And your tail is lots of fun to play with.”

 

Dean can feel his ears heat up at his impromptu declaration. The sad look in her eyes fades so he tries not to worry about it too much. She leans into his touch and he is rewarded with a faint happy rumbling. He releases her so she can get more comfortable. She slips into his lap but jumps back. He looks around wildly and can’t help laugh at what startled her. His pocket notebook must have slipped out of his shirt and static electricity made it cling to her. Dean picks up the offending book and shows it to her. She mumbles something about the book being stupid. He shrugs.

 

“I don’t know where my notebook went,” Dean explains. “This is what I have for my notes.”

 

Roxxy “ohs” and grabs her bag she dropped at his door. She digs in the bag and starts pouring stuff out of it. A roll of tape, a pair of pink mittens, an ID card to both her parents’ labs and the bag her father gave them are some of the highlights. She pulls out a familiar red notebook triumphantly. She hands him the notebook and he sees a sheaf of paper neatly placed into a plastic sleeve inside it. He opens the book and sees the plastic sleeve is full of typed pages. Looking at the cover page, he realizes that it’s his notes. Neatly organized by subject and in clear easy to read font.

 

Roxxy explains she grabbed the notebook when he was in the hospital. She thought maybe if a fresh pair of eyes looked at all the evidence a solution would be realized. She was having a hard time following the line of thought in the notebook though. So she went into the library and got it all typed up and organized. In all the excitement that followed she forgot all about it until the sand beast was brought back up. She went and grabbed the notebook with the typed pages from her dad’s lab where she was keeping it for safekeeping. She finished up with her dad as quickly as she could and headed straight to his room.

 

Looking over the typed pages, Dean is touched by all the work she did for him. He puts it on his desk, planning on reading it all later. He hears a loud clattering from the living room and opens the door. He sees HELPeR running in circles around a panting Sprinkles. the beast is laying on the ground, clearly in terrible pain. Dean sees something glistening out of the side of the beast. Dean goes to the side of the pained beast to get a closer look as Roxxy calls Dr. Ventore on her watch phone. He can see that it’s a piece of metal. It’s doesn’t seem to be near anything vital and it’s causing the beast a lot of trouble.

 

Dean grabs a nearby coaster and pulls the shard out of Sprinkles’ shoulder. The black metal glistens with the beast’s blood. Dean doesn’t know for sure, but it looks like Osmonite. He can hear HELPeR frantically beeping the events that happened. HELPeR was just walking Sprinkles outside the colony when a person with four arms started tossing spears at him and Sprinkles. Looking at HELPeR he does see new dings and scratches in his paint. HELPeR describes the person as having a red streak going all down their front. It looked like dirt was ground into the pelt to make the stripe.

 

Dean hears the front door open. He doesn’t know why, but he conceals the chunk of metal in his hoodie’s large pocket. Dr. Ventore comes in, followed by two scientists with a makeshift stretcher. They load up Sprinkles and take him to Ventore’s lab. Ventore turns and says they did the right thing calling him before following the workers. HELPeR follows them as well. Roxxy and Dean stay behind, not wanting to get in the way. He goes back into his room and puts the chunk of Osmonite into his desk. Roxxy looks at him curiously.

 

Dean explains how the Osmonite doesn’t have any radioactive properties. Long as he doesn’t directly touch it, it will be okay. He tells her that he plans on giving it to pop so he can study it for himself. Hatred comes in and asks where HELPeR is. Dean tells him what happened and Hatred mutters under his breath. He leaves to go inform pop about it. Dean didn’t mention the Osmonite he took from the beast. Hatred isn’t too good at keeping secrets and this is one he needs to keep for now.

Roxxy’s watch plays a short tune and she answers it in his bedroom, needing privacy. Dean and Hatred makes small talk about what they did that day while she was busy. Hatred seemed almost pleased to see that he and Roxxy are together now. Dean doesn’t want to read too much into it. He is just glad for the support for Roxxy’s sake more than his own. He never realized that she viewed herself so unfavorably before. She always seemed so happy and carefree. She comes out of his bedroom, chuckling to herself. She looks up and sees him looking at her.

 

Roxxy explains that her dad found a new way to quit smoking. He doesn’t want a repeat of last night, even if the tactic is a bit silly looking. It’s something he will have to see for himself. Dean trusts her word and they watch an old war movie with Hatred while waiting for pop and Hank to get back home. Hank gets back first and watches the movie with them. Dean resists the urge to poke fun at his brother for how he behaved in the library. He keeps his arm wrapped on Roxxy as they watch the movie.

 

His and Hank’s watch beeps at the same time. They both answer and see that pop has finally figured out how to call two people at once. He has called to inform them that Sprinkles will be fine. He says that Sprinkles getting hurt was a good thing because they were able to test a new treatment that has showed great promise. 

 

The scientists got to him quickly enough to prevent the poison from spreading. The test was a rousing success and Sprinkles will be back in a couple days. They want to make sure that no unseen side effects pop up. He says he will meet them at dinner and hangs up. Dean rolls his eyes, glad that Sprinkles is all right. Once he sees pop at dinner, he will tell him about the sample he has in his desk.

 

The movie ends and they head to the dining hall right after. Hank and Hatred are talking about their favourite parts of the movie. Dean keeps his hands in his pockets and hums to himself. He doesn’t see Roxxy or either of her parents in the dining hall. They must be busy. He hasn’t eaten with his family in a while, so it would be good to catch up with them. He gets his dinner and sits with pop. Hatred and Hank join them, still talking about the movie. Pop explains that HELPeR will be looking over Sprinkles in the lab until he has healed up enough to return. Sprinkles will be in the sand beast lab and if any changes happen, HELPeR will let them know immediately.

 

Dean taps pop’s shoulder when Hank and Hatred are back to talking about the movie. He whispers he recovered a piece of Osmonite from Sprinkles. He tells pop where he put it and that he can get it for him after dinner so he can study it. Pop nods without further comment. Almost like on cue, Jonas comes into the hall looking for them. He dashes to their table, putting on a great show of concern for the robot he abandoned twenty years ago. Dean and pop keep their mouth shut, sharing a secretive look. Dean knows that pop wants to trust Jonas, but right now they can’t take the risk. Maybe later they can explain the need for secrecy and he will understand.

 

Jonas sits with them for dinner. He talks about old mysteries he had. He talks about the “Coloureds and freaks” he met on his journeys. Dean had to bite his tongue to “keep himself in line” as pop would call it. If he wants to find out more about what Jonas is up to, he needs to at least pretend to have no issue with him. The more open Jonas is with information, the more evidence Dean could possibly gather. It’s the best idea he has for now. Jonas proclaims he has a meeting to get to and leaves.

 

Dean sighs in relief. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep a straight face. He looks over at pop and they share a laugh. For a moment, they had the same disgusted face. Hank and Hatred have changed topics to who was the best Batman. Pop and Dean excuse themselves, not wanting to witness what is about to happen. It always happens when they discuss who is the best Batman. Insults turn into name calling and name calling turns into fighting. Pop and Dean have better things to do then separate the two of them. They go straight to Dean’s room where he shows pop the chunk of Osmonite. Pop was carrying a sample bag and was able to store the metal in the bag. He puts the bag in his pocket and they go to check on HELPeR in the sand beast lab.

 

They go to the lab. Dean points out where HELPeR is. They can see HELPeR has wrapped a blanket around the wounded beast. Sprinkles yips happily when he sees Dean. He attempts to get up but is too weak to stand. Dean kneels and pets the beast’s muzzle. The beast coos, even though he is clearly in pain still. His shoulder is bandaged up. Looking up, he sees a wall of photos of different sand beast kits with names written underneath. 

He sees the one for Sprinkles and takes another look. The small brown dot between his eyes matches the sleepy looking kit in the photo. He didn’t even notice how much bigger Sprinkles has gotten. Dean remembers when HELPeR came in with the small kit. Sprinkles was so small back then but able to cause so much damage. He doubts Pop will ever find out what happened with that table to this day.

 

Dean realizes that means that he has been on Mars for nearly four, approaching five months now. Translated to Earth time, that is. He has gotten good at mentally calculating from Mars to Earth and vice versa. He didn’t even realize so much time has passed. He could have sworn he hasn’t been on Mars for nearly that long. Where did the time go? He sees Roxxy walk in to pick up Bowie from the pen 

It becomes clear how he lost track of time. She leaves the kit in the pen for now. Bowie looks at her with a huffy look before going back to playing with the other kits. She sees him and grins before coming over to see how Sprinkles is doing. Pop coughs, making an excuse to give them some alone time as he leaves. Well, mostly. HELPeR doesn’t count because he is currently turned off for the night. And Sprinkles isn’t going to say anything about them standing so close together or anything.

 

Dean gets Roxxy caught up on the case. She nods, stating the fewer people involved the better. She checks his hands to make sure no residue remains. He rolls his eyes but lets her finish her inspection. Satisfied, she rubs her cheeks against his hands. The soft fur tickles his hands. Dean jumps back, and Roxxy lets go of his hands. She starts apologizing, stating her cat instincts must have gotten the better of her. She looks at him, eyes wide and startled looking. He realizes at this angle she looks like one of those cross eyed Siamese cats that he used to see around the compound sometimes. 

 

He remembers one that would make weird moan like noises every time Hatred tried to write a new song. He remembers how Hatred would yell at the cat for being a horrible judge of talent. Dean laughs, not helping the situation. He holds up a hand, trying to catch his breath. She holds her hands close to herself. Dean grabs her hands within his and smiles. She smiles back, cheeks still a bit red at what just happened.

 

“Your cheeks tickled my hands a little,” he explained. “And then I remembered this cat that hated Hatred’s singing. You looked just like them for a moment. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, Roxxy.”

 

Roxxy’s mouth forms into a weak smile. That just won’t do. He knows how self conscious she is about herself now. He is going to be the best boyfriend and make her feel better about herself. Dean kisses each finger, showing how little the fur bothers him. 

 

Looking up to make eye contact with her, he sees her cheeks flush at his attention. He hears someone clear their throat behind him. His shoulders tighten as he looks at who it is. It’s Mr. White, thankfully. Mr. White must have come in to see what the hold up with Roxxy picking Bowie up was. His arms are crossed and he raises an eyebrow in question.

 

Dean lets go of Roxxy’s hands, very self conscious of himself now. Dean looks over at Rox and she shrugs shyly. Dean stares at what looks like a collar around Mr. White’s neck. It’s a pale pink collar and is blinking faintly. White notices him staring and nervously tugs on the collar. He remembers Roxxy mentioning that her dad was trying to quit smoking. But why doesn’t he just use those patches like in the commercials. He asks just that and Mr. White explains that the patches irritate his delicate skin. He can hear Roxxy snort but doesn’t bring attention to it. 

 

Mr. White “escorts” them back. What would have been a five minute walk took five times as long because Bowie had to sniff everything on the way there. Dean kept hearing what sounded like muffled humming coming from outside. The sound is unnerving to Dean. He keeps close to Roxxy the entire way back. She doesn’t seem to notice how nervous he is, discussing Bowie with her dad. She tugs on his shirt, trying to get his attention. He tries to ignore the humming and focus on Roxxy. Roxxy mentions that if her Father is all right with it, she will be allowed to keep Bowie. 

Dean looks at the sand beast kit currently licking a wall. Not a good source of nutrition, Dean knows that much. Bowie would not be his first choice for a pet, not by a long shot. But Bowie isn’t a bad companion beast for Roxxy. And the beast makes her.

“If you aren’t allowed to keep him,” Dean says. “I’ll keep him. I’m sure pop wouldn’t care.”

She squeals happily, hugging him tightly. Mr. White didn’t say anything about the squeal, trying to get the sand beast away from the wall. His efforts unsuccessful, Roxxy has to intervene with the beast. She gets him away from the wall. She kisses Dean on the cheek and she and her dad go back to their home with the beast.

 

Dean is blindsided by his pop coming down the hall. Pop wraps his arm around him and makes a great show of having a light hearted conversation with Dean. He leads him down an empty hallway. Pop looks around and then darts into a closet, dragging him with. He turns off his watch and then turns off Dean’s watch. Pop grabs him by the shoulders and his face turns serious.

 

“I finished analyzing the Osmonite you gave me,” he whispers. “It is a more refined form of it as you suspected. It’s almost as pure as the samples in the lab. They must be getting help from someone here.”

 

They exit the broom closet and go back home as a clock chimes. While there isn’t a curfew on the colony they do have a warning chime once areas like the library or the entertainment rooms are closed. At night, there isn’t much to do around the colony except for sleep or work. Dean goes and adds to his pocket note book about his suspicions being confirmed. He didn’t expect his pop to take him seriously. It is nice to see pop taking him seriously after all this time. He isn’t sure how long it will last this time around. He will take whatever help he can get.

 

Dean hears something slam hard. Like something slamming against the wall with all it’s might. He looks around. He opens his door and doesn’t see anybody who could be responsible. Hank is in his room, door open as usual. He sees Hatred passed out on the couch, an old World War II movie blaring on the TV. His pop is tinkering with HELPeR, an instruction manual in one hand, a screw driver in the other. Dean closes his door, even more confused now. The sound continues. It sounds like it’s coming from….outside? That’s strange. He sees that what he thought was just wall was actually a curtain. All this time, there was a window to outside. Curious, he opens the curtain to get a glimpse of Mars.

 

Large red stained teeth snap at him from the other side of the window. Dean screams and trips over one of his shoes. His glasses go flying to the other side of the room. Pop and Hatred come rushing in to investigate. The THUMP of him hitting the ground is heard over Hatred’s movie. The pair see him on the ground scrambling away. He points at the revealed window. They turn to look at him with concern. He hears Hank come in, late as usual. He bends down and grabs Dean’s glasses and hands them over to him. Dean puts them back on and sees the window is clear now.

 

Dean picks himself up from the floor, Hank keeping close just in case he needs the help. He didn’t but he was grateful for the care. He tries to explain what he saw to pop and Hatred, but neither appear to believe him. The two leave, obviously assuming he is just seeing things. That being isolated on Mars is getting to him. He sighs, knowing that pop’s support wasn’t going to last long. Hank pats his back, assuring him of his support. 

Hank goes back to his room and lets Dean straighten his room as he wants. He knows what he saw. It was a Martian. But their skin was red and angry like a fresh bruise. They looked crazed, not at all like the Martians he and Roxxy met at Jaal’s settlement. He punches his palm. Roxxy! He needs to tell Roxxy about this. He grabs his watch and calls Roxxy.

 

Dean waits for Rox to pick up. He is about to hang up when she finally picks up. Her hair is tied back in a messy bun and she looks like she is a bit harried. He sits cross legged on his floor, getting comfortable as he can. She brushes a bang out of her face and grins when she sees it’s him. He can hear clattering and frantic talking in the background of her place. He can just make out Bowie sitting in her lap, sniffing curiously up at the watch. It isn’t Bowie related and she doesn’t look hurt in any way. He can’t hear any noise from his room so it must be something minor.

 

“Uhhmm, what’s going on over there?” Dean asks.  
“Oh,” she says. “Nothing. Just, Dad tried to take off his collar and now it won’t stop shocking him. Father is trying to get him to hold still long enough to get it off. ”  
“Oh,” Dean says. “Should you go help?”  
“I’m helping by keeping Bowie out of the way. ” she says. “See?”

 

Roxxy lowers her watch so he can better see Bowie. Bowie licks the screen and Dean flinches as the silver tongue covers the screen for a moment. She wipes her watch on her nightgown before lifting it back up.

 

“I know this isn’t a social call,” she says. “What’s up, Veggie Boy?”

 

Dean rolls his eyes at the playful nickname. She still insists on calling him that. It’s not the worst he has been called, so he doesn’t object. Not too much, anyway.

 

“Well, you remember Jaal telling us to avoid the rebel Martians?” Dean asks. “Well, I saw one outside my window today. And they do not happy at all.”

 

Roxxy gasps in shock and starts chattering at him with great concern. Dean assures her he is all right. It took for a bit but he got her calmed down. She hangs up and he sighs in relief. He gets off his floor and sits on his bed. He puts his watch on his desk. 

Looking at the revealed window, he covers it again. After what he saw, it will be a while until he looks out that window again. Hands across his abdomen he leans back on his bed. This mystery is getting way more intense than he thought. Why there a rebel Martian outside his window? Was it coincidence or something far more sinister?

 

Dean rolls over and hears something crinkle underneath him. He pulls out a now crumpled note. He unfolds it and groans. It’s from his grandfather. Reading the note, he groans again. He is not going on a blind date with one of his friend’s daughters. Of course, then pop had to come in and see the note before Dean has a chance to throw it away. 

He practically begs him to do it to stay on Jonas’ good side. Dean stipulates that Hank has to come with. Pop agrees with him and goes to tell Hank. Dean needs to come up with a quick plan. He is about to call Roxxy back to help. when Hank bursts into his room. He puts the watch back on the desk. Dean sits up, not liking the look on his face one bit.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Hank asks. “You and Roxxy are like peanut butter and jelly without crusts. You gotta give her a chance. You’ve only been together for like, what a month?”

“Two months, actually,” Dean says. “And I’m only doing this date thing to shut grandpa up.”

 

Dean starts detailing what he should do to make sure that Grandpa never bothers him about him dating Roxxy again. Hank grins, liking the plan. This is going to get interesting, especially if he can get Roxxy on board. Hank shoots him a thumbs up and goes back to his room to prepare for tomorrow. Dean picks up his phone and calls Roxxy. She looks tired but listens intently. She looks worried but she promises to follow the plan.

He whispers a quick love you to her, cheeks and ears red. He doesn’t need a mirror to know. She whispers a love you too back before hanging up. Dean smiles, glad that she is on board for this. Plan in action, Dean picks up his notebook and reads over the notes Roxxy typed up for him. He uses a highlighter he found on the floor in the library to highlight things he needs to investigate further. 

Task finished, he starts going over the plan in his head. He has to get this just right. He hasn’t pulled an all nighter in a long time. He focuses on Roxxy and making her smile and that helps give him in the strength to stay awake. He writes down the plan in his pocket note book. He sees the sun rays crack from under the curtain and sighs in relief. He gets out of his bedroom and gets ready for breakfast.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean puts his plan into action and discovers more then he bargained for.

Dean ruffles his hair as he walks out. He didn’t sleep much last night, too worried about today. He has the note in his pocket. The ‘date’ is a brunch styled deal. Mr. White comes over, needing some aspirin. A faint red ring is around his neck, the collar nowhere in sight. 

Dean doesn’t comment on the hopefully unrelated bite mark right under his collar. Pop’s eyes dart straight to it but points at the medicine cabinet, knowing better than to comment. Which is kept in the kitchen for some reason. Mr. White grabs the aspirin from the cabinet. He looks at Dean with concern for a moment before leaving.

 

Pop and Hatred head off after breakfast t the lab. It’s all hush hush so Hank and Dean don’t know specifics. Roxx comes over, smiling softly at Dean for a moment. She looks at his hair with disapproval. She stands on her tip toes and attempts to smooth it down. He bends down so she can better reach his hair, bemused. She pulls out a comb from her back pocket and straightens his hair out. He kisses her forehead when she finishes with his hair. With a blush, she puts the comb away in her back pocket.

 

Holding hands, they go to the room his grandfather reserved for his “date”, Hank trailing behind. The two part, Dean feeling a pang of nerves as Roxx follows Hank to a table in a far corner. He sees a girl with reddish hair sitting at a table and figures it to be her. His patience is thin right now, a lack of sleep not helping his mood. The girl smiles at him, trying to be friendly.

 

“You must be Dean,” she says. “I’m Chandra.”

 

“I know,” Dean says, a notable tone of tiredness in his voice. “I read the note grandpa left for our “date”. That you like Giant Boy Detective books and cats and that your parents are super scientists that were recruited here. Grandpa thinks we would be a perfect match.“

Dean clasps his hands in front of himself and places them on the table. He resists the urge to lay down and sleep for now. He is being rude right now, that is for sure. But if he wants Jonas to leave him be, he has to do this. Hank is probably giving him a thumbs up, egging him on.

 

“The thing is,” he says. He feels his impulse control fade as he starts to ramble. “I already have a girlfriend who is perfect for me. She is smart and funny even if she doesn’t think she is. She supports me and treats me good, like how a good girlfriend should. And she is beautiful, especially when she smiles. Oh, and she smells real pretty too.”

 

Chandra looks over and sees Roxxy wave shyly at her. She waves back as Hank nods. She folds her hands in her lap as Roxxy comes over to sit with Dean. He kisses her cheek as he holds her hand within his. He turns to look at Chandra. Instead of being insulted, she has a curious look on her face. Like she is thinking about something deep.

 

“Could you do us a favour and tell as many people as you can that I am happily taken already?” Dean asks. “Its getting a little annoying.”

 

Chandra nods happily and waves them off as Hank stays to talk with her. Hank loves making new friends and he wasn’t going to say no to a free meal. Rox and Dean go to the dining hall for lunch. Dean tries not to look too smug at the look of confusion on Grandpa Jonas’ face when he walks in with Roxxy. He doesn’t make a scene but does scowl, plan foiled.

 

Dean yawns, last night catching up to him. After lunch, Roxx drags him out of the dining hall back to his place. She doesn’t take no for an answer and plops him down on the couch. She tosses a blanket over him, and he stops protesting. It clearly isn’t doing him any good. He relents and lets her place his glasses on the table nearby. She slips onto the couch and turns the TV on low. He lays his head on her lap. She runs her hands through his hair in a soothing manner. Before Dean knows it, he is slumbering in her lap.

 

Dean wakes up, needing to use the bathroom. He is about to get up when he hears his name said casually. He didn’t realize somebody besides Roxxy was around. He stays still and realizes that Roxxy is talking to somebody. About him if his ears are hearing them right, in fact. 

He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop, but making it clear he is awake would only serve to embarrass her. All he can do is wait for a pause in the conversation so he can get up to relieve himself. He missed a good portion of the conversation, but from Roxxy’s tone she is giving advice. To Sirena, he thinks.

 

“I hope so,” Sirena says.  
“Don’t worry,” she says. “Moving too fast is just as bad as moving too slow.”  
“Haven’t you and Dean been together for less time than Hank and I?” Sirena asks.

 

“We kind of grew up together actually,” she says, bashful. “I’ve always had such a crush on Dean. He was always so sweet to everybody, even to me. He never treated me like a freak. I felt like a normal girl with him, and that doesn’t happen with a lot of people, you know.”

 

Dean can’t help the gasp that escapes. He quickly pretends to have just woken, like a strange dream woke him up. He tries to roll off the couch and bangs his knee against the wooden table, yelping loudly in pain. He fumbles up, reaching for his glasses. Roxxy gives him his glasses, saving him a few moments. He hobbles to the bathroom. If it was just Roxxy, he wouldn’t be nearly as embarrassed. He spends far too much time in the bathroom. But he really doesn’t want to face Sirena. 

 

Dean finally leaves the bathroom after he hears the front door open and close, along with Roxx biding Sirena farewell . He peeks out the bathroom door and sees Roxxy inspecting the table for damage. She runs her hand over it and seems satisfied. Dean walks out of the bathroom. Roxxy turns and bounds over to him. She hugs him, rubbing her face on his abdomen. He pats her head before wrapping his arms around her. 

 

Dean notices she she fits perfectly in his arms. He can see her cheeks are so red from this angle. He cranes his neck down and kisses her. She melts into the kiss and he feels somewhat daring and wants to try something he read countless times in romance books. He nips on her bottom lip. She squeaks but doesn’t pull away. He delves deeper, her tongue rough on his. It’s not as rough as he was expecting.

 

Dean hears a childish giggle and pulls away from Roxxy, startled at the noise. He sees Hank leaning against the door frame, covering his mouth. Dean’s arms slide to Roxxy’s hips as he feels his cheeks flare. He manages an indignant glare that scares Hank off for now. Roxx dashes into the bathroom, cheeks redder than his.

 

He goes and checks to see if Sprinkles is resting in the closet. Checking his bandages, the beast appears okay if not a bit loopier than usual. Antibiotics and experimental drugs will do that. He should be completely healed soon. He makes sure his food and water are good and that his area is clean and tidy. He pets the bandaged beast before leaving him in the closet for now.

 

Roxxy comes from the bathroom with a troubled look on her face. Dean heads over to her and asks what is up. It seems that her Father called her while she was in the restroom. He just heard from one of the scientists that left. They were both big Rusty cartoon fans, it seems.

More to the point, it turns out they were going to reveal their great discovery on the anniversary of the colony’s founding. It was all hush hush, top scientists stuff. They wanted it to be a nice big surprise. They just finished smoothing out the bugs when they were assigned to Area 51. 

 

It came out of left field but they just assumed it was typical bureaucratic nonsense. It makes sense to Dean, used to most government dealings ending in ridiculousness. While the information does solve one mystery, it doesn’t help the bigger one at hand. Nobody knows who or what is making the martians attack colonists . Dean has been meaning to check in with Jaal. He brings it up to Roxx, thinking it would be a nice distraction. 

Roxx looks at her feet and mumbles something about emergency quarantines until further notice. Dean groans. Roxxy suggests that they go and ask around others about their experiences with the Martians. The colony is a big place with lots of area to cover.

He gives her a pocket note book and they split up to cover as much as they can. He takes the right side of the colony and she takes the left. They agree to meet for dinner to compare notes. Dean makes sure that his watch is on, just in case she needs to call him.

 

Dean spots a gaggle of girls and goes over to question them. They giggled quite noisily when he approached, but he ignored it as he launched into his questions. He got plenty of information from them about the Martians and colonists. He got the sneaking feeling they weren’t talking about the Martian when they wished him luck. But he is too busy talking to others to think too much on it.

 

Dean finds himself in front of Mr White’s office. He notices that it’s deathly quiet as he knocks on the door. No music rumble or even the whirring of a fan. It feels strange talking to his girlfriend’s dad without her present. She has to ask his pop about the Martians since his lab is on the left of the colony. It’s only Mr. White, after all. Mr. White babysat him plenty of times growing up. He’s almost like a weird uncle to him. The door creaks open and he is invited in. What’s the worst he can do? He pulls out his notebook with a smile.

 

Dean leaves the lab twenty minutes later, visibly spooked. Easily the longest twenty minutes in his life He sees Rox sitting on a bench nearby and he walks over to her. She stands up and looks concerned for him. He assures that it’s nothing worth getting upset over. Just her dad being protective of her. She pulls a face, not wanting to ask for more details. 

 

They head into the dining hall and can hear Jonas talking to a large group of people gathered around him. He is obviously bragging about his accomplishments again. They take their dinners and make a quick stop at his room to grab the master clue list. They go to her place for privacy. Only people they have to worry about at her place are her parents. Both of whom are busy at dinner. She turns on her stereo so they aren’t interrupted while comparing their notes they gathered.

 

Dean is in charge of transcribing the notes into the main note book. He gets situated on her bed. She highlights matching information while he looks through the notes she typed up for him. Once she finishes highlighting matching information, she hands him the note books so he can record the information into the notebook. 

They chat about the things they learned that day. She drew some rough pictures based on people’s descriptions. He flips a few pages in the notebook and tries his best to replicate them as close as he can. He doesn’t do that bad of a job, overall. You can tell what the things are, and that is what matters. Artistic talent isn’t. He hears a noise outside the window.

 

Dean turns to look at Roxxy. Her grey eyes dart to the window. She gets up from the floor and opens the curtain to her window and gasps. She takes a step away and points outside. He spins around to look out the window. His foot gets stuck on the edge of her bed as he tries to stand on it. He manages to whirl around and slam his face into the window. 

 

Dean pulls away, face aching. He untangles his foot from her comforter that came with him. He hands her the blanket and looks out the window. He can see her getting the blanket back on the bed. She is vibrating in excitement, her happy rumbles heard over the stereo. He looks out the window to find what got her so excited but he can’t see through the sprinkling of rain on the window. He looks back at her before what the rain means dawns on him.

 

He remembers the learning beds saying that Mars didn’t have enough atmosphere for it to rain. According to Roxxy’s notes, the scientists were more preoccupied with talking about the atmosphere development then about anything the Martians were up to. None of them caring all that much as long as they weren’t given more work. They were complaining a lot about being so far behind schedule. From their perspective, the random attacks wasn’t what slowed them down. It was getting the brightest and best scientists reassigned to solving the problem that did. .

 

Dean turns to her, an excited grin breaking out on her face. He grabs her hands and she squeals as she bounces up and down. He joins her, excited about the rain. It means they might be able to go home soon! His pop promised that after the atmosphere gets off the ground they will be able to go home. Then he and Roxxy can have a real date, like at a cafe or something like in those teen movies. They have been on Mars for far too long. Half a year on Mars is like an entire year on Earth. It’s going to be difficult readjusting back to Earth time. Hank won’t have any trouble because he still isn’t able to follow “Mars” time. They are still on Mars, so it’s pretty pointless to worry about Earth time right now.

 

Dean helps Roxxy up so they can both watch the rain fall against her window, Roxx just a bit too short for a clear view. The rain stops shortly and Dean doesn’t want to let her go just yet. He sits on the bed with her in his lap. She adjusts herself so they can cuddle better. She grabs his main notebook so they can review what they have learned. 

Rox fixes his sketches with her red marker. He watches as she scribbles red on top of the carved rock totems, explaining how all the colonists had that in common with their descriptions. Square but smooth rocks with something red smeared on top. Any they found they either left where they found them or they destroyed them for safety measures. Dean wishes they were able to study just one.

 

Dean gets a bad feeling looking at Roxxy’s sketch.His watch beeps, his pop wanting to know where he is. It must be later then he thought. He slips off of her bed. They agree to talk to Jaal as soon as the quarantine is over. He kisses Rox good bye and goes back to his place. Pop doesn’t ask what he was up to, but does lower his glasses in question. Dean goes to his room and spends until lights out getting things sorted out for their next adventure out.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weeks of boredom lead to further development of both mystery and relationships.
> 
> Also, THE SEX HAPPENS!

Dean didn’t think it would take so long for the quarantine to be lifted. But it was several long weeks, made longer by Jonas’ ceaseless meddling. They were in vain, however. It seems Chandra did as she promised and told as many of her friends as she could. What she said, Dean doesn’t know. Dean has been on twelve blind dates and all of them ended with the girl cooing over how cute he and Roxxy are. Roxxy found it flattering, he found it embarrassing that so many girls were interested in their relationship.

 

Jonas still wasn’t getting his lack of interest and kept persisting in his efforts, no matter how many girls thought they were “totz perfect” together and refused to go on a date with him. Dean tried to be nice to Jonas for his pop’s sake. But he was starting to understand what pop meant by Jonas was “grating on his last nerve”. 

 

Pop let them alternate spending nights over to make up for Jonas’ meddling. As long as they asked before, Mr. White and Dr. Billy didn’t mind him staying over or Roxxy spending the night. Each night, Dr. Billy made sure to remind them to use protection and Dean rolled his eyes each time. Just because they only had one thing on their mind didn’t mean they did too.

 

When it was announced over lunch that the quarantine was lifted, Dean barely finished his meal before grabbing Roxxy and heading out of the colony. Three weeks being Jonas’ main focus was enough for him. Having the sun shine straight on his skin and being able to continue on his mystery was a welcome relief. Even if it was on a strange planet. The duo find the establishment of Jaal’s and are greeted warmly. They are lead to Jaal’s cave and Jaal welcomes them in. 

 

Dean tells him of the quarantine and Jaal grunts in acknowledgement. The large gap between the last they spoke did not go unnoticed by him, Dean knows. Jaal noticed the complete lack of colonists and takes no offense. Dean shows the notes he has been gathering while stuck in side. Jaal spends several long minutes looking at his drawings before handing the book back to Dean. Jaal crosses both sets of arms. Dean leans forward, palms sweaty on his knees. Jaal looks down, pondering what to say, Dean is sure.

 

“We have seen these totems,” Jaal states. “They belong to the “Rebels”. We believe they use the totems as a charm or warning. They are not like we who want to work with the Colonists. They wish to rid Mars of the colonists and reclaim the land.“

 

Jaal talks about the Martians proud history of coexisting with others, a far more interesting lecture than the one Dean sat through when he first got here. Dean’s stomach growls, interrupting the fascinating discussion. Jaal invites them to spend the day among his people and they accept. They exit the cave and realize that all of the makeshift tents have extravagant decorations strung over them. Looking around the campsite, Dean notices that many of the Martians are wearing brightly coloured baubles. Most of it looks like glasses, shiny and vibrant in the sun’s light.

 

Roxxy and Dean stay until it started to get dark. They both didn’t want to leave, feeling more welcome among the Martians than among their fellow colonists. They missed dinner in the colony, but it’s no trouble for them. They ate plenty among the Martians. It was just like what the dining hall offered, just served differently. They part ways, promising to talk more tomorrow. He catches up with Hank and Hatred. Pop is busy “with a date”, much to Hatred and Hank’s amusement.

Dean excuses himself. After today’s events and catching up with Hank and Hatred, he is knackered. He puts his glasses in their case on his desk. He changes into his pajamas and flops face down on his bed. He tugs his blanket over himself. Dean hears a quiet knocking on his door. He announces the door is unlocked. The door opens with a whisper and he sees Roxxy close the door behind her. He sits up, worried about why she would be here. A purple blanket is slung over her shoulder. He can see her bunny bear in her other hand. A sheepish smile crosses her face.

 

“Hank let me in,” she murmurs. “I couldn’t sleep. My parents were being…extra loud tonight. Is it okay if I sleep here tonight?”  
“Uhm, sure,” Dean says.

 

She tosses her pillow onto the ground next to his bed. She lays her rabbit on the pillow and fluffs the blanket up in her arms before laying it on the ground as well. Dean sighs. Every time, he has to remind her she doesn’t have to sleep on the floor. 

It’s a habit from the compound days, he is sure. She always slept on his floor whenever she stayed over. Even when his room was in the attic, she slept on his floor. He stumbled over her on his way to the bathroom more times than he could count.

 

“Roxxy, sweetie. We’ve been over this. You are not sleeping on the floor,” he says. “Come up here.”

 

He scoots over on his bed and lifts his blanket up. Grabbing her rabbit, she climbs into the bed leaving her blanket and pillow on the floor. She curls up next to him, getting comfortable. He lays the blanket on top of her. She is soft and warm, like a large teddy bear in his arms. He doesn’t know if it would offend her to be called a giant teddy bear, so he keeps it to himself. A loud knocking on his door wakes him.

He sees Roxxy leap out of his bed and land on top of her blanket. She mouths “Sleep” to him and he lays his head back down on the pillow. He follows her lead and lays back down. Mr. White marches into his room, looking flustered. He can still hear his dad and Sergeant Hatred talking in the living room. He believes they are talking to Dr. Billy, but he can’t hear over them trying to talk over one another. Typical. Mr. White runs his hands through his hair, disorganizing his already disorganized white hair.

 

“Have you seen Rox?” Mr. White asks. 

Roxxy pretends to stir, like she wasn’t already awake. Looking around, she sees her dad and smiles sleepily. She gets up from her nest as White stares at her, dumbfounded. He looks at Dean, wanting an explanation. Dean just shrugs, unsure himself. 

 

“Hi Daddy,” she coos, her voice all sugar. “Sorry I forgot to leave a note saying where I was. You and Father were being really noisy last night and I couldn’t sleep. I hope Uncle Rusty didn’t mind me staying over.”

 

Dean blinks, kind of impressed at Roxxy’s acting skills. White turns to look at Dean. Dean sees White’s cheeks turning a pale rose as he ushers Roxxy out of his room, talking in hushed tones with her. Probably scolding her about not asking first. Rubbing the back of his neck, he might as well get up and dressed. He pulls on a hoodie over his tank and a pair of sweatpants. A nice day in after yesterday sounds like a good plan for today.

 

Stepping out of his room, he sees that his pop is getting ready. Pop normally takes forever to get up and ready in the morning, an oddity. He states that he is going to be busy in the lab all day. He keeps looking at Sergeant Hatred nervously. It’s clear he is lying, but when isn’t he? Rusty says that he can invite Rox over for company as long as her parents allow it. 

 

Rusty leaves shortly after getting confirmation she has permission to come over. HELPeR, Hatred and Sprinkles head off for Sprinkles appointment. The beast is in good spirits today. He must know that he is getting his stitches removed today. Dean and Hank watch a movie until Sirena comes over. It was nearly lunch time anyway, so it wasn’t a hassle.

He found Roxxy in the dining hall and they ate lunch together. They talked about yesterday’s activities, comparing notes. It skipped their mind, them getting back so late. Her parents kept looking at the two of them in an almost knowing look. He didn’t want to make things awkward, so he tries to ignore them. 

Roxxy kept looking at him and giggling. She said she had a surprise for him but won’t tell him what it is. Would ruin the surprise, she said. He can’t see how she can have anything hidden on her person in the small skirt and t shirt she is wearing today. She seems playful in a mischievous way to him today. He sees her shivering in her tiny outfit in the cold Mars air. He slips his hoodie off and hands it to her. She puts it on gratefully. He rolls the sleeves up for her and they continue on his way. They walk back to his place, Dean trying to get an answer out of Roxx with no success.

 

Roxxy and Dean end up in his bedroom curled up with a couple of books from the library. Roxxy curls under his arm and is engrossed in her book. Dean keeps getting distracted by her. The way her ears twitch as she is reading. The pale red of her lips. He saw her put on cherry coloured lip balm in the dining hall. He thinks it is lip balm anyway. 

He put the book on the shelf sitting above his bed. He can’t concentrate on anything but the feel of her tail on him, so soft and plush. Licking his lips nervously, he watches her eyes move across the page as she finishes her book. Her tail keeps wrapping around his thigh. She puts the book down on the floor. He places his hands on her hips. He can see a faint blush form on her cheeks at the intimate embrace. He places his hand on her cheek.

 

“My dear Roxanne,” Dean said in an exaggerated Southern drawl. “I do believe that you should be kissed and often.”

 

Roxxy rolls her eyes, stifling a giggle with her hands. Dean smiles, running his hands through the soft fluff on her cheeks. Roxxy never seems to mind when he was being a nerd. He takes off his glasses, placing them in their case sitting on his night stand. His hand rests on her thigh as she slips into his lap. Toying with the edge of her skirt, he feels a familiar stirring.

 

They have done this before, but have never gone any farther than some light making out before they got spooked. She gasps and he pulls away. His cheeks are red, heat blazing. He is about to stammer out an apology when she lays a finger over his lips. She gets up and makes sure his door is locked, clicking the lock in place. He perks up, watching as she slides back onto his lap.

 

Sliding her hands onto his cheeks, she kisses him. He detects a faint hint of cherry lingers on her lips. He puts his hands on her hips, his college hoodie looking perfect on her. Roxxy’s hands slide onto his chest. He can feel the pads of her hands brush against his nipples through the thin tank top he chose to wear. She leans forward, hands on his chest, kneading his shirt. He cranes his neck forward and she kisses him. It’s shy but welcoming with a softness that is pure Roxxy.

 

Dean finds himself deepening the kiss, not able to get enough of her. This feels different than the other times they have “goofed” around. Less fumbling and giggling as they realize what they are doing. No awkward interruptions of her parents coming home. There is nothing that can get in the way of their intimate acts. Everybody is busy with themselves today. He smirks as the realization dawns on him. Brazen, he makes a move.

Dean is rewarded with a throaty purr as he slips a hand under her shirt. His eyes widen as he realizes there is no bra in the way. Soft silky fur covers her small breasts,. Thumb running over her nipples, he watches with fascination as her eyes widen and her back arches into his touch. She grinds against him, begging for more.

Biting his lip in concentration, he slides his hand southward. Still nervous, he waits until she nods before he reaches underneath her skirt to touch her. He gasps when he realizes she isn’t wearing panties either. She planned this, didn’t she? He pulls away. She grins at him, eye lids heavy.

 

“Did you plan this?” Dean asks, feeling stupid.  
“Mmmhmmm,” she purrs. “It took some work, but I made sure that we would be all alone.”

 

Roxxy rubs herself against him, and Dean gasps sharply. She rolls her hips on his, eliciting a sharp whine from him. His eyes roll up at her movement and he craves more. She stops what she was doing and he whimpers. Her ears fold down and she tilts her head. Her eyes look so mournful now. Her soft hands cover his, holding his hands close to her heart beating fast.

 

“Are you okay with this?” Roxxy asks, toying with his thumb.

 

Dean could kick himself. His nervousness must be reading as unwillingness. He scoots up slightly, and runs a curious thumb over her soft furred hands. He is trying to think of the right words. He pulls her small hands up to his mouth, kissing her hands. He kisses each of her fuzzy knuckles, the hair tickling his nose. The faint blush deepens to a crimson on her cheeks.

 

“It’s okay because it’s you,” Dean whispers, trying not to trip over his own tongue. “I’m okay as long as you are okay.”

 

Dean leans forward and kisses her, far more gentle this time. He pulls her hands to his hips, holding them there. She slowly slips back into his lap. She is shy, afraid of making a sudden movement. Dean deepens the kiss, letting her hands freely roam. 

Roxx’s hands wrap around his shoulders, rubbing soft circles on his collarbone before resting there. He flips her under himself, a squeak earned. She slowly melts into him, her hands relaxing on his shoulders.  
Dean’s right hand roams upward, cupping Roxx’s small breast within his much larger hand. Purring mewls and lustful moans were like music to his ears. He watches her breath quicken, faster and faster until she purrs his name, arching her back just so. He slips his hands to her hips, playing with the soft fur before delving deeper. He watches as her eyes widen, eyes dark with longing. She’s so warm, so soft, so…Roxxy.

He slips a second finger insider her, enjoying the noises she utters as he slides his fingers against her sensitive core. Pure pleasure, a faint plead of wanting more. Her cries reach a fever pitch, hands grasping at the sheets as she comes. He feels her tremble as he removes his fingers, faintly wet with her essence. Softly kissing her neck, he hears the soft gasp as he enters her. He brushes her hair from her face, placing more soft kisses on her muzzle and neck.

He basks in the warm, indescribable feeling of Roxanne. She rocks her hips against his, a pleased moan purring from her. A moan escapes from Dean and she repeats the motion. He feels pressure building in his groin as he thrusts into Roxxy. Fire burning through his veins, he gasps as Roxx tugs him close and latches onto his neck. He sees stars behind his eyes as he climaxes. Panting, Dean rolls her on top of him, not wanting to collapse on top of her. He runs his free hand through her hair. She leans into his touch, purring so softly and sweetly. 

Whispering silly endearments to one another, Dean can’t remember a time he’d felt this content. A loud knocking on the front door catches his atention. Roxxy jumps off of him, yanking her clothes back on. Sliding her skirt back up, she mouths “Jonas, eyes wide with fear.

 

Dean rolls off the bed, slipping pants back up. She tosses him his sweat shirt and he answers the door. Dean fluffs his hair, acting like he just woke upJonas looks at Roxxy with disapproval before asking where Rusty was. Dean shrugs, muttering something about being in his lab today or something. Jonas sighs and left without another word. Dean closes the door behind him. Roxxy was shaking like a leaf behind him. He pulls her close, interlocking her hand within his. He wipes a stray tear from her soft cheek, kissing where the tear moistened her fur. 

 

He didn’t let go of her hand, even during dinner. Her parents didn’t have to ask why he refused to let her hand go. They’ve experienced enough hardship for being different to know she needed the extra assurance. Afterwards, they went back and stayed curled on the couch with the TV turned to some movie channel. 

Dean tries to assure Rox that he doesn’t care what his grandfather says. She still looks unconvinced. Dean eventually gets her to smile when he finds her favorite movie playing. Rusty sees them curled on the couch and rolls his eyes playfully at them. Roxxy leaves, kissing Dean good night. Rusty mentions Jonas visiting him at the lab and wants to talk to them about something important. Dean rolls his eyes.

 

Dean knows he is no closer to solving the mystery. He just has a bunch of disconnected clues with nothing tying them all together. His pop told him that once the prototype phase of the atmosphere is complete, they will be heading home. Only time will tell if he will be able to solve this mystery before they leave the red planet. A thought that makes Dean oddly sad. He shakes his head and straightens his room. 

For now, he will get prepared for more mystery solving with Roxxy tomorrow. It barely takes him ten minutes to get their gear ready for later. Straightening the rest of his room, he smiles fondly. He picks up a small plastic tube from the floor. Roxx must have forgot her lip balm or it rolled out of her skirt. He lays on the bed, holding the cherry lip balm in his hands. He takes off the top, revealing the pale pink balm. He reads the label on the tube, still not sure what the difference between lip stick, lip balm and chap stick is.

He looks around, nervous somebody could walk in any moment on him. It’s ridiculous, but Dean doesn’t want to take any chances. Assured for the time being, he sticks his tongue out. He runs the stick across his tongue and recoils. Rubbing his tongue on the back of his shirt sleeve, that tasted nothing like cherry. He recaps it and sticks in on his desk. He rolls over, missing the soft tickle of shampooed fur already.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tempers flare and breaking points are crossed as sensitive subjects are confronted.

Rusty kept his word and distracted Jonas for Dean. Hank even lent a hand by constantly pestering him to teach him sports and dating stuff. Two topics Dean knows that Hank already learned all he needs from Brock. But Jonas has yet to master the art, or even ability, to say no to Hank. 

Sadly, even with Jonas out of his hair , no new information was uncovered in that time. Jaal was unable to help as well during that time. The rebels were oddly quiet during this time. They were taking a break in the library.

Dean was reading a book on feline biology, much to Roxxy’s embarrassment. He didn’t see why she was so embarrassed. It is no different then when he was reading about her culture last week, what little he could find. She didn’t raise any objections about that. 

She even helped him find relevant books on Japanese culture. They had a blast with origami, making little animals and things out of paper. She tugs on his sleeve and he looks up, peeling himself away from his book. Dean resists the urge to roll his eyes when he sees Jonas approach them. He motions at them and they get up from their table.

Dean took extra time to put away his book, not wanting to deal with whatever Jonas has to say. With great trepidation, Roxxy and Dean walk into the bustling lab of Jonas’. Jonas waves them to his office where he sits at his desk of aged mahogany, clearly showing off. 

Dean keeps Roxxy close, not trusting whatever intentions his grandfather has. Dean and Roxxy sit on the chairs in front of the desk. Dean grabs Roxxy’s hand, keeping his gaze on Jonas. Jonas leans back in his plush red office chair, tenting his fingers together.

“Dean, son,” Jonas says. “Don’t you think your little rebellion has run it’s course? It’s been three months. You can quit pretending to love this… thing and find yourself a nice girl to settle down with. Like Hank, for example.”

Dean groans as Roxxy’s ears fold down, burying his face in his hands. Jonas can accept Colonel Gentleman being a sexual predator. He can accept Otto endangering an entire mission with his inaction. Jonas even accepts Hank’s casual cross dressing, a surprise even for Rusty. But Dean being in love with a cat girl is too far for him?

Dean tries to grab Roxxy’s hand back within his, but she wraps them around herself, tears pricking at her blue grey eyes at Jonas’ comment. Dean stands up and slams his hands flat on the red painted desk.

“What the shit is your problem?” Dean asks.

Jonas looks offended and Dean does not let it bother him. Roxxy is the best thing that has happened to him and enough is enough. He is tired of Jonas’ barely veiled comments.

“You have been on her case since she got here,” Dean says. “Only person who cares about her being a cat girl is you. So why don’t you get that stick out of your ass and let us be happy?”

Jonas gapes at him for a moment, stunned at Dean’s mouth he is sure. Dean takes the opportunity and leaves Jonas’ office, dragging Roxxy behind him. Roxxy looks a bit green after their “talk” with Jonas. She whispers a weak “I’m going to be sick” before vomiting into a nearby trash can. Startled, Dean doesn’t know what to do at first. He didn’t know what Jonas said upset her so much and he no longer feels even a little bit bad about what he said. He leaps into action, gathering his wits together. 

Rubbing her back in soothing circles, Dean’s brow furrows in concern. Roxxy assures him she is fine, but he isn’t convinced at all. There has a been a rather bad stomach flu floating around the colony lately. And she does deliver messages all over the colony for her parents. That must be how she got sick, poor Roxxy.

Dean follows her inside her place and makes sure she gets some rest. He kisses her goodbye and heads back to his place. He promises to bring her lunch later. His pop is sprawled on the couch, watching TV in the front room. It’s on some commercial so Dean doesn’t know what he is watching. Something old and boring, no doubt.

Dean sits on the couch next to Rusty. Rusty starts, actually engrossed in the show he was watching. Rusty looks over with concern but puts the remote down, deciding against changing the channel. Dean leans back into the couch, grateful he doesn’t have to squint anymore. The show comes back from a commercial on a “one time only” deal on a space age bleach substitute.

Dean tilts his head. Why is pop watching a special on scientific hybrids? He’d never shown any interest in them before. He called it a waste of super science talent and a stupid party trick. Rusty finally acknowledges Dean staring at him. He shrugs and mutters something about a scientist needing to stay up to date in all things science related. 

“Not a crime to show interest in my son’s life,” he mutters. 

Dean still can’t help but be surprised that his pop is being almost supportive of him and Roxxy. If it doesn’t involve super science or progressive rock, he’s usually dismissive about things. 

The special is actually rather interesting. A woman with a tight bun is explaining how advances are improving in the field of hybridization. A chart appears behind her, the jump cut to wheel it in painfully obvious. She points out how most hybrids tend to be sickly, infertile and lead short, pain filled lives if not carefully monitered. It seemed hopeless that science would ever be able to make a sustainable hybrid animal.

Then the work of a Dr. Franklin “Felix” Coldwell was made public. His papers were released as one of the terms of his release from Dunwitch Asylum. The woman proclaims with his research scientist could make a race of healthy hybrids. They could even make a hybrid capable of breeding. A computer simulated image of a family of wolf/fox hybrids appear behind her.

Rusty turns off the TV, citing lunch time. Dean looks at the clock and is amazed the documentary went on for so long. He follows pop to the hall and tells the cafeteria worker Roxxy is too sick to pick up her own meal, flashing a smile he has seen Roxxy use countless times. The worker nods and helps him pick out some things for her to eat. Over these five months, they have become good friends with all the workers in the dining hall. He gets his box filled first, a much easier task. He sets it aside and works on hers.

The curried chicken and beef and cheese quiches the worker offers him smell too strong for Roxxy’s stomach right now so he grabs a few of the cheese encrusted garlic bread bites and puts them in her box. He gets a sealed cup of chicken noodle soup and puts it in the box, setting it next to the garlic bites, using a few bananas as guards to keep them from spilling. 

He grabs a few of the flavored crackers she likes to go with the soup. The worker suggests other things he knows she likes that are easy on the stomach. Dean is handed two cartons of banana apple juice in a carrier and heads off, balancing the two boxes and cartons carefully.

Dean knocks on the door to her place. She answers it, still in her jams. She looks like she got some rest and looks a little better then this morning, He hands the cup and box to Roxxy and she manages a smile. A weal smile, but still a smile.

He puts his meal on the table and waits for her to join him. She sits next to him. She takes a small sip from the cup before she puts the cup back on the table. Rox toys with a random morsel from her box. Dean scoots closer to her. She puts her fork down in the box. She turns and looks at Dean, sheepishly grinning at him.

“Not hungry, I guess,” she says.

“When was the last time you ate?” Dean asks. “I didn’t see you at breakfast.”

Roxxy shrugs, not answering him. She only ate half a sandwich and a few nibbles of a cookie last time they ate together. She must be real sick. Dean finds it weird for a bug to last more than a week, even on Mars. Course, he’d never seen Roxxy sick like this before either. IT must take a really strong bug to knock her off her feet. 

He grabs a cracker, unwrapping it for her. He holds it up to Roxxy, waiting. She rolls her eyes before nibbling the cracker in his hand. He feels ridiculous feeding her like this, but it gets the message across. He repeats the process until she starts grabbing from the box herself. Satisfied, Dean goes to use the bathroom, assured she will be fine for the three minutes it will take him to empty his bladder.

Once Dean got back, he was pleased to see that Rox had eaten half of her meal and the carton of fruit punch is almost empty now. She hasn’t gotten to her soup yet, but the garlic bites and other finger foods are gone now. Satisfied, he sits down next to her.

He starts working on his collection of salad and wraps in his box as she gets to her chicken soup. She is about to crumble a packet of crackers into her soup when her watch beeps at her. She looks at her watch and puts the soup down. She goes to her room and Dean tails behind her. He stands in the doorway and she looks at him.

“I have to pick up Bowie from his check up,” she states.

“You need to rest,” Dean says. “I’ll go pick him up.”

After some light protests, he convinces her to stay while he picks up the beast. He grabs the beast’s leash that was hanging on the back of her door. She sits on the couch, and returns to her soup. He kisses her on the forehead and goes straight to the sand beast lab. Dr. Ventore greets him cheerfully. He realizes Roxxy isn’t following and the scientist’s mood dampens slightly. He must be really attached to Roxxy, too.

Part of Dean wonders why Jonas is the only person who doesn’t like Roxxy, but puts it in the back of his head for now. Dean explains Roxxy caught a stomach bug and he is there to pick up Bowie. He takes the leash from Dean and goes to collect the beast from the cages. Bowie comes bounding out, Dr. Ventore barely holding onto the leash. Dean takes the leash from him as Bowie sniffs his shoes. Bowie looks up at him with a quizzical look before sitting right in front of him. Bowie hasn’t done that before.

Dean wonders if Roxxy’s training is finally sinking into the stubborn beast’s head. If anybody could train him, it would be Roxxy.Dr. Ventore informs him that Bowie is in perfect health and goes back to checking on the other beasts. Dean brings the beast back home for Roxxy. He hears rustling and sees Roxxy with a mouthful of egg roll. She swallows and grins sheepishly at him.

“I don’t know,” she says. “It just smelled better than the soup.”

Dean looks at his pillaged box. It’s only the one egg roll that is gone. While he knows Roxxy doesn’t usually like vegetarian egg rolls, he is glad she is eating something. Once Dean frees Bowie from his leash, he immediately lays under the table next to Roxxy. Bowie seems to be back to normal, playing with a loose thread on the table cloth. 

He jokingly offers her the other egg roll in his box, and she declines citing they taste terrible with an eye roll. They chuckle before returning to their meals. They close the boxes once they finish their lunches. They turn on the television and watch cartoons. Roxx mads a few remarks that he feels are not directed at the cartoon. But Dean just isn’t understanding. He doesn’t know what she was getting at and when he asked she just rolled her eyes.

Roxxy is adamant they eat dinner in the dining hall. She says she is feeling better, and he doesn’t wish to argue with her. Nothing comes up in the dining hall and Roxxy’s appetite seems to have returned. They were on their way to their favorite entertainment center when a large crash catches their attention. His boy detective instincts kicking in, he runs towards the source of the noise. He pushes his way through the crowd running away. 

Roxxy is tailing behind him closely, weaving in the crowd to and fro. If he didn’t know better, he never would have guessed she was sick. Maybe she is feeling better.The pair stop when they see the source of the noise. Standing near one of the entrances is Jaal, the pelt familiar. They have a small Martian cradled in all four of their arms.

The small Martian is still breathing, much to Dean’s relief. Roxxy points out a gash on the Martian’s face. The edges are glowing a dark green black colour, standing out against the pale green blue blood of the Martian. The small Martian has the same gold eyes as Jaal does. Dean assumes they must be related in some way. 

Roxxy takes command and leads the small group down the hall to the hospital wing. Dean tries not to be bothered by the people staring at them, something he knows Roxxy is used to. She walks into the lab and makes a beeline for her Father. They talk in hushed whispers before they come up to the hulking Martian. 

Dr. Billy looks rather calm to Dean, considering there is an easily six foot tall four armed Martian being standing right in front of him. Dr. Billy explains to Jaal that the treatment for Osmonite poisoning is still highly experimental and might not help the Martian child they brought to them. Jaal nods, already knowing all this somehow. He follows as Dr. Billy leads Jaal to an empty hospital bed, where the child is lain. A lone scientist comes in with a vial encased within two breakaway foam blocks.

Dean notices Roxxy disappeared into the bathroom while Dr. Billy cleaned the wound of the traces of Osmonite. He can hear soft retching noises from the bathroom and flinches. So much for feeling better. He asks a nurse with a clipboard if she can get a few packets of crackers from the dining hall. The nurse nods, and beeps the dining hall. 

Dean looks over and sees the child is looking better already. Dean finds a chair for Jaal so he can sit next to the child. Jaal takes the chair gratefully and follows Dean’s lead as Dean sits next to the bed. The child looks to be in less pain and not suffering from any side effects so the medical facility leave.

Dean listens as Jaal talks about the child resting in the bed. The child is young and was orphaned by the rebel Martians. Jaal took it upon themselves to take care of the child. The child is fascinated by the bright band aid over their wound, looking at it in a mirror. Or maybe the chilkd is fascinated by the mirror. Dean isn’t sure which. 

Jaal was meaning to come to inform Dean of some new information they have gathered when they found the child wounded. Dean pulls his pocket book and writes what Jaal tells him. The nurse comes back and gives Dean a small bag full of crackers, along with a small sealed container of soup. Looking through the lid, he sees thing noodles floating in a yellow broth. Must be chicken noodle soup. He thanks the nurse. 

Dean leaves to give Jaal time alone. He gets up and stands next to the bathroom with the soup and crackers in hand. He waits for Roxxy and can hear clattering and running water from the bathroom. She comes out of the bathroom. She slips something into her bag too fast for him to get a clear look at it. 

He shows her the soup and crackers and they go back to her place. She keeps her bag too close for him to sneak a peek to see what she grabbed. He hands her the soup and crackers, which she accepts happily. He kisses her goodnight and leaves her to rest for the rest of the night.

Dean sees that there is another hour before bedtime. He could go to bed early, but he doesn’t feel tired. He decides to transcribe his pocket notes to the main book. After today’s events, he has a lot to process and organize. Having something to do with his time now, he sets out to organize the notes. He scratches out irrelevant information and theories proven wrong. 

He knows that he will have to go and retype the notes in the library. Hopefully Roxxy will be feeling well enough to come with him. He is less likely to be pestered by their fan club directly when she is around. While having a gaggle of girls sigh dreamily at them is disconcerting for him, it’s better then being confronted by them.

Dean doesn’t know how they became such an interesting topic. There has to be more interesting topics then who is dating who in the colony. He hopes that their attention fades soon. 

It’s hard catching people “in the act” when you have people watching you all the time. He is tempted to ask Hank to go streaking around the colony so he can get some serious investigating done. He feels that probably would have solved this mystery a while ago if not for the fan girls. It’s a pleasant surprise when the next day when Dean sees that their “fan club” is busy in an entertainment center far away from the library. Some new movie of some kind.

When he stopped by Roxxy’s place, she proclaims she is REALLY feeling better and is up to tag along with him to the library. She mentions she has a reserved book to pick up anyway. While he was busy typing up the notes, Roxxy was engrossed in her reserved book. It’s in a red book protector and she is holding it like it’s made of fine glass.

Dean tried to ask what the book was about. She said it was about large cats and he has no reason to doubt her, even though she won’t remove the red protective cover to show him. He lets her get back to her book as he types up his notes. He is editing the file from her Hello Kitty flash drive, his written notes propped up on the modem of the computer.

They are in a quiet corner of the library, far from any prying eyes, so Dean doesn’t mind having his notes lain so openly. It’s about time when most of the colonists are at lunch and since they went early, they have the library to themselves. Only other person in there is the librarian who is flipping through an old magazine on physics. It’s almost peaceful.

Dean finishes typing up his notes, having most of it done for him already. He presses the print option. He takes his old ones and drops them off into the recycle bin next to the printer. The printer spits out the new notes and he flips through them, double checking any spelling errors he might not have noticed on the screen. He is so busy looking over his notes on his way back, he didn’t see the chair in his path.

Dean stumbles over one of the legs and crashes into Roxxy, knocking her book skittering across the floor. The red protector flies off and reveals the covering. Roxxy pounces, trying to hide the cover from him, but it’s too late. He saw a newborn kitten being cleaned by an exuberant Asian woman and the words “Pussies and Babies” in pastel lettering on the front. He can almost make out smaller font underneath it. Roxxy leaps onto the book, shoving the cover back on it while a low growl escapes her.

Dean tries to help her up but she rejects his help. She is grumbling under her breath. Roxxy doesn’t think he bumped into on purpose, does she? She brushes herself off, sticking the book in her bag with far more force than needed. He gets her flash drive after saving the updated file. 

She swipes it from him and he rolls his eyes at her. She doesn’t need to be moody over an accident. they leave the library in silence, making sure to clean up their area. Dean shoves his hands into his pockets, notebook with notes tucked under his arm. 

“Could you lighten up, please?” Dean asks, unable to keep quiet any longer. “It was an accident.”

“Sure it was,” Roxxy says, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Why should I care if you are reading about cats?” Dean asks. “Or anybody else for that matter”

“And that’s the problem,” she hisses. “You are far too naive!”

“Well, I am soooooo sorry I was raised in a learning bed and dragged all over the fucking place by my father!” he shouts, cool lost instantly. “Like you are so special because you’re a literal pussy!”

Dean knows he went too far the second Roxxy’s blue grey eyes instantly fill with tears. He reaches out, trying to apologize. She swats his hand away, claws bared, bright pink against the cream of her hands. He backs off Roxxy never having shown his claws to him in this manner. He really touched a nerve this time.

“Save it,” she says. 

Roxxy turns tail and storms off, leaving him standing in the hallway alone. It’s quiet in the hallway, far too quiet. Dean stands in the hall, not sure what to do before he decides to head home.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hurt feelings are soothed with treats and a celebration with a surprising conclusion.

Despite his best efforts, things were rough between him and Roxx. Roxxy refused to look at him during dinner and sat as far away from him as possible. After that, he didn’t bother look for her at breakfast or lunch for the next week. If she was going to be stubborn, so was he. Hasn’t she been mad for long enough? It can’t be that big a deal. He tried to apologize at first but she wasn’t having it. 

He doesn’t know why she is being so difficult about this. It is just a book, she doesn’t need to pull the silent treatment on him. But still, it hurt having this happen. He was sitting on a bench, flipping through a self help book. None of the advice in the book is helpful. He hears somebody sit next to him. Looking over, he internally groans.

 

Jonas lays his hand on Dean’s shoulder in a grandfatherly tone. Dean sighs and closes the book he was reading. He must have taken some time out of his busy schedule to come and talk to Dean. Dean doesn’t need to be a boy detective to deduce what Jonas wants to talk to him about.

 

“I heard you and Roxanne have been having difficulties,” Jonas says.  
Dean rolls his eyes. Gee, THAT was a tough mystery to solve.  
“It’s all right Dean,” Jonas says. “All relationships have their ups and downs. It’s a rough patch but you will get through it.”

 

Dean looks over at Jonas. He can’t believe what he is hearing. Jonas, giving him good advice about him and Roxx? Without being judgmental? Back on Earth, Hell must be freezing right now. Jonas usually reserves his good advice for Hank and all his judgment for him.

 

“It’s not your fault she is, how you say,” Jonas says, waving his hand in the air. “Temperamental. It’s how women are. They are too emotional and stubborn. They don’t know how to work things out like us men can. Most certainly not when they are half cat.”

 

Dean pulls away from Jonas as he laughs. He should have known it was too good to be true. Dean walks away, shaking his head at what Jonas said. What Jonas said was right, but not about Roxx. He has been too stubborn about this situation, refusing to see things her way. 

Dean marches back to his place. He goes straight into his room and digs around his closet, trying to find the suit case. For a minute, he was worried he cleaned out his suitcase from that internship and packed the sweater vest on autopilot. Roxxy wears it whenever she is staying over. Which hasn’t happened since their fight. 

Thinking about that makes his eyes hurt so he refocuses. He finds the small folded note and sighs in relief. It’s survived the trip. He hasn’t made these since he was a kid. He only just remembered Roxx stuck this recipe of hers into his suitcase for good luck on the failed internship all that time ago. It’s something that never failed to cheer her up.

 

Several batches of failed muffin batches later, Dean picks out the best looking dozen of cat faced muffins, placing them in a box HELPeR found for him to store them in. Hank and Hatred will eat the failures, he is sure. He finds pop asleep in his room and sneaks in. He grabs his pop’s watch off the nightstand and sneaks back into his own room.

Scrolling through the channels, he is eventually greeted with Mr. White’s face, after some trial and error. He can see that Mr. White must have been sleeping late, his hair a complete tangled mess. Dean pretends not to notice Mr. White is more than likely naked. Mr. White’s eyes squint before he scowls when he sees it’s him.

 

“Mr. White, don’t hang up!” Dean pleads. “I want to apologize to Roxxy, but she hasn’t been in any of her usual places lately.”

 

“That’s because she’s been in her room crying,” Mr. White states bluntly. 

 

Dean sighs and holds the watch out so Mr. White can see what he has in his other hand. He can hear him clattering for his glasses for a moment. He hears an awe turn to laughter greet him. Dean holds the watch back at face level, cheeks red. Mr. White promises to let him in. Dean terminates the call and returns the watch to his pop’s nightstand. 

He puts a hoodie on over his shirt and goes next door. He knocks on the door and waits. The muffins are still hot, even in the box. He can hear clattering noises and shuffling before the door opens. He is greeted by Mr. White who is thankfully dressed in a robe. 

He welcomes Dean in, stifling a goofy grin. Dean straightens his glasses before knocking on Roxxy’s door. He can hear the familiar sounds of Billy Idol playing through the door. He hears a loud sniffle before she yells for him to wait a minute. He feels his heart tighten at the sound of her crying.

 

Roxxy opens the door and goes to slam it the second she saw it was him. He wedges his foot in the way, stifling a yelp at the pain of his foot getting partially crushed. Her nose crinkles as she smells the muffins. They positively reek of mint and chocolate. 

He opens the box so she can see the frosting kitty faces on top. She releases the door and he stumble walks into her room. She looks at the plate with curiosity. He hands it to her, and she takes a closer look at them. He rubs the back of his neck. He did his best but the kitty faces are obviously lopsided. He takes a deep breath.

 

“I’m sorry Roxxy,” Dean says. “I was being stubborn. If you have a reason for hiding something, I need to trust you have a good reason for it. Do you forgive me?”

 

Dean waits with bated breath. He can see Roxxy mulling his apology over. She is holding the box in her hands. He can hear Bowie snort in his sleep under the desk in her room. She puts the box of muffins on her desk. She wraps her arms around him. He places her down on her bed. He goes and asks permission to stay over, but Mr. White is nowhere to be found. 

He finds a note on the table with the words “Have fun” written on it and Dean rolls his eyes. He goes back to Roxxy’s room and sees her eating one of the muffins. He sees a flyer sitting on her desk but it’s obscured by the box. She finishes the muffin and gets a serious look on her face.

 

Roxxy gets up and slips the flyer out from under the box. She shows it to Dean and he takes it from her to better read it. It’s a theme party with the theme being famous super hero pairs. His shoulders sag slightly as she smiles at him. He manages a nervous grin and agrees to oblige her request. 

She chirps and they start out planning their outfits. They will talk more about their relationship after dinner, when they have more time and privacy. Nervously, Dean offers her his hand and she takes it. They walk hand in hand to the dining hall.

 

Dean sees Mr. White shoot a thumbs up his way before returning to assembling his burrito. Dr. Billy is trying to help him with the task. Dean notices Roxx staring at the egg rolls on his plate. He scoots one on her plate and she gleefully gobbles it up. He goes and gets a paper bag full of them for her and she chews on them while they walk back to her place. He remembers how Roxx turned her nose at the vegetarian rolls, no matter how much he tried to get her to try them back home. Maybe he can get the recipe for these ones.

 

The pair see Jonas walk into the dining hall and dash out, heading to her place. They make a quick stop at his place to grab pajamas and to leave a note for his pop. He will be glad he is done “sulking about” as pop calls it. They go into her bedroom and get into their pajamas. He brought his old pajamas for her to make them look less like pajamas and more like a decent costume for the party. Her parents being in the “cosplay” scene, she is set for any costume she could dream of. 

He feels that the old pajamas will serve best for a costume. And he won’t miss them that much if he can’t wear them like normal clothes. Roxx won’t have too much difficulty fixing them up. She looks at the pajamas, and makes notes in a notebook how to go about modifying the pajamas to make them more costume ready. While she is busy sketching, Dean goes into the bathroom to get ready for bed. He brought his toothbrush, but forgot his tooth paste.

 

“You mind if I use your toothpaste, Roxxy?” Dean calls out.  
“Nah, go ahead,” she calls out. “It’s in the cupboard above the sink.”

 

Dean opens the cupboard door. He sees a bunch of “feminine” products and a few white boxes. He grabs one, hoping it’s toothpaste. He reads the front of the box and puts it back, cheeks flaring. He gets better luck on the second box and rolls his eyes at the first box. When he was told all the medical cabinets were fully stocked with everything, he didn’t think it would extend to pregnancy tests. He shrugs and gets his teeth brushed. He makes sure to put everything back where he found it and exits the bathroom.

Roxx shows him the rough concept drawing she has made. Looking it over, he trusts her judgment with it. He doesn’t understand the scribbles she made, but hopes she does. They make plans to get the costume sorted out that week. It didn’t take as long as he thought it would take to make them look more like a costume and less like child pajamas. 

She offered to make him a mask to go with the ensemble, but he declines. Her outfit was easier. Her dad had some old leg warmers that fit over her leggings and for reasons Dean didn’t want to think on, a plain long white wig. Cosplay hi jinks, he hopes. With the black dress that she got for her last birthday, she made a convincing Black Cat.

 

They saw Hank and Sirena sorting their outfits out. Hank is going as Jessica Rabbit and has his outfit planned out. They just need to get Sirena’s outfit sorted. They will have to make the rabbit ears from scratch, not a problem for Hank.. Roxxy and Dean keep their costumes in her bag for safe keeping. They will get dressed before the party and make any last minute adjustments that might come up than.

 

They smile at a small Martian child being lead by their parent. Since Jaal came into the colony, the other Martians have started visiting the colony. The Martians don’t come in often and never cause trouble. Dean was worried that they might have some adverse reactions to the oxygen rich environment. Jonas assured him that the Martians are very adaptable and can breathe nearly any environment you can imagine. If the sand beasts are able to survive in the colony, the Martians will have even less of an issue.

 

Before they know it, the dance comes up. Dean feels awkward. He hasn’t worn this in a long time. Roxx is having fun, keeping close to him. Jonas had to comment on her dress being short, even though it was easily four inches longer then Hank’s and showed even less skin. 

Not in any mood to deal with him, Dean grabbed his pop’s punch and downed it, knowing that is probably the only reason Pop can handle Jonas. He coughs as the alcohol bites his throat. Roxx looks at him with concern but he assures he is fine. He sways on his feet and she keeps him from falling over. Roxx leads him to an empty table and sits him down.

 

Giggling to himself, Dean knows the alcohol is already affecting him. She pats his head, and goes to get him something to get in his stomach besides spiked punch. Playing with the empty cup, he knows it wasn’t even that filled and was even less alcohol. He is such a light weight, as Dermott would proclaim. Roxxy comes back with a plate of finger foods. She feeds him small bites of cracker and morsels of cheese, tables turned. He tries to feed her a nibble of cheese but she waves him off.

Dean stubbornly refuses to leave until he sees her eat as well. The alcohol boosted his courage, something useful. She grabs a wrap and eats it in front of him. She tilts her head once she finishes the wrap. He nods in approval and she rolls her eyes at him. She grabs his hands and they sneak out of the party. She finds Hank and Sirena. She says that he got pop’s cup mixed up with his and doesn’t have to explain further. They don’t hold them up any longer and promise to tell pop what happened. 

 

Roxx leads Dean back to his room. He plays with the fur on her hands, the soft fur even more fascinating to his addled mind. He lifts her up and she squeaks. Nuzzling his nose against hers, he captures her lips. Using his free hand, he clears the desk off before setting Roxxy on it. Pulling away slightly, she places her hand on her cheek. His hands slide down towards her hips when he tilts his head. She feels softer and curvier somehow. Maybe it’s the alcohol muddling his judgement? Before he has a chance to further inspect her, he hears the front door swing open. Roxxy’s ears flatten as she slides off the desk. She straightens her dress out.

 

His door opens and he groans. Jonas comes storming in, obviously noticing they disappeared from the party. And he went straight to Roxanne’s place, probably lead by her parents who have no clue what is going on. Dean sways on his feet, too drunk to be nice right now.

 

“Grandpa, I’ve already told you!” Dean shouts. “This is not a phase. I love Roxxy and she loves me. I don’t care she looks different. Why is that so hard for you to understand?”

 

“She can’t pass on the Venture line!” Jonas says, pinching his brow. “Even if she could, they would be deformed freaks. Like that Fantomos kid.”

 

Roxx whimpers behind him, her hands wrapped protectively around her midsection. Dean growls, and steps forward. He focuses every ounce of malice he feels on Jonas and swings, just like Brock taught him. He hears Roxxy gasp behind him. His fist smarts from punching Jonas, the alcohol not numbing him at all. It makes his hand hurt more.

Jonas rubs his jaw and then leaves without a word. Roxxy leaves shortly afterward, making sure Dean lays down after changing into something more comfortable. She clearly is not happy about what he did but knows he is in no condition to listen. Dean doesn’t understand why. He has never felt better and feels confident things will only improve for him.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysteries of Mars are solved with horrifying consequences.

Dean has grown bored of bouncing the rubber ball Hank gave him off the wall, having lost track ages ago. Since standing up to Jonas, he was grounded. Him, at eighteen years old. Grounded. And he wasn’t allowed to see Roxxy at all. He is allowed to talk to her over the communicator watch, but it’s not the same. He can’t smell what perfume she is using today or feel the soft fur between his fingers.

Course, Jonas was pleased that Rusty was “on his side”, something that made Dean’s skin crawl. It’s like he wanted Dean out of the way and was using Roxxy as an excuse. But that makes no sense. Why would he want that? What could he possibly be planning? 

Dean hears his watch beep. Hopeful, he looks and sees it’s pop. He rolls his eyes but answers anyway. Probably a reminder about him not being allowed to leave by himself. He is surprised when he hears that he is no longer grounded. The call ends and Dean rolls his eyes, his train of thought ruined. He doesn’t know where to go since Roxxy is busy with her Father today. Something about needing to talk to him. 

He heads off with no real destination in sight. He stops in front of a sign pointing to an entertainment center. As good a place as any. He sees Sirena and Hank sitting at a table, talking in low tones. He doesn’t want to disrupt them, so he grabs a book off a shelf to read. Sirena sits next to him and he closes his book, Hank nowhere in sight.

 

“What’s up, Sirena?” Dean asks.  
“Have you noticed anything different about Rox lately?” she asks.  
“Not really,” Dean says. “Maybe a little more moody, but I have been grounded lately.”

 

“It’s pretty obvious that’s it’s more then a little teen moodiness with Rox,” Sirena says. “I know how close you and Roxx are.”

Dean tilts his head, unsure of where this conversation is going. Why is Sirena suddenly so interested in him and Roxxy.

“Dean, I had a friend back home,” Sirena says, leaning forward. “She got mixed up with a boy who was nothing but trouble and had to go visit her Auntie’s to “hide her shame”. Do you understand?”

Dean shakes his head, and Sirena groans, face palming. Dean has no clue what Sirena is trying to imply, or what it has to do with him and Roxxy. Roxxy may have been acting a little odd lately, but he doesn’t see how it has anything to do with Sirena or her friend.  
“You Venture boys are way too thick for your own good,” Sirena says, leaving with a final eye roll. 

 

Shrugging, Dean goes back to his book. But he can’t get back into it, trying to puzzle out what she was talking about. Checking his watch, he realizes that he has not even been beeped by Roxx at all today. He doesn’t see Roxxy at lunch so he calls her. He got her voicemail and frowns before leaving a message for her. She must be busy still. 

 

He is still trying to figure out what Sirena is talking about when he catches sight of somebody dash by. He hides behind a large tree in a decorative planter. He peers through the leaves and sees his grandfather, brushing his red stained hands on his pants. Dean covers his mouth, seeing the bright orange of the pants through the layer of red dust covering most of Jonas. He sees him enter a pin code to a door before slipping behind the door. 

 

The coast clear, Dean is about to go and tell pop when he sees a message from Roxx. He grimaces, remembering. Pop won’t believe him without proof because of what happened. He brushes his hands through his hair, thinking about how he can get proof. Listening to Roxx’s message, it dawns on him to ask her dad.

 

Dean makes it to Mr. White’s lab. He hears a faint rumble of music and starts rapping on the door impatiently. He hears the music shut off, a harried “One minute” and coughing barely audible through the thick door. The door finally slides open and White blinks in surprises. Dean launches into why he is there, not waiting for pleasantries. Mr. White nods and lets him, the door closing behind him. Mr. White gets resettled in his chair. Mr. White tents his fingers together, leaning back in his chair.

 

“You can do that, right Mr. White?” Dean asks. “Like at the compound.”

 

“Well, sure,” Mr. White says. “But what are you hoping to find?”

 

“Proof,” Dean answers . “ I doubt you would leave such an open hole in the security, especially since your daughter is up here.”

 

Mr. White nods, an almost secretive smile on his face. He cracks his fingers before getting to work. Dean sits on the other chair in the room, waiting for Mr. White to work “his magic” as he calls it. He hears Mr. White humming as he types on the console. After a bit of time, he waves Dean over, excited. He presses a few buttons on the console and plays the saved footage on the security cameras.

 

Dean covers his mouth with his hand, horrified. Mr. White frantically starts tapping buttons until the video feed turns off. He apologizes to Dean, having not looked the footage over first. Seeing what his grandfather did to those Martians. He even took some of the rebels to his lab and instructed them who to attack and when. 

He barely manages to choke back a gag to take a deep breath. He tells Mr. White to make sure that the proper people sees the videos, stomach still weak. Mr. White presses a few keys and prepares to send the video. He assures Dean he will take care of things from here. Dean leaves the security room, needing to breath.

 

He hears somebody call his name. He looks around and sees Roxxy. She waves at Dean, catching his attention. She walks over to him. She can’t stand still, bouncing on her feet. He pulls her in for a hug, breathing in her soft scent. He kisses her, something he hasn’t been able to do in far too long. Her hair smells like cranberries and sunshine.

 

“Hey, Dean,” Roxxy says. “Can we talk?”

 

She looks excited and a little bit scared. Her arms are wrapped around her abdomen, almost protectively. Dean is curious about what is so important Roxxy would track him all the way to his grandfather’s labs. But he has time sensitive things to do. He hopes she understands.

 

“I would love to, “Dean says. “But I need to talk to pop. We can talk later, alright?”

 

Her ears fall down. The gleeful spark in her eyes fades. She looks like she is about to protest but changes her mind. She waves good bye to him as he heads into his pop’s lab. He looks around and doesn’t see him anywhere. He is about to leave when he hears a loud clatter coming from pop’s office. He goes over, expecting to see pop but instead sees Jonas. He gets up from the file cabinet on the floor, a sheepish grin plastered on his face. Dean feels sick to his stomach thinking about what Jonas did.

 

“What’s the matter, Dean?” Jonas asks. “You look a little pale.”

 

“Grandpa,” Dean starts. “I know what has been changing the Martians and who is behind the rebels.”

 

“Oh?” Jonas says. “That’s fantastic news. Well son, what is it?”

 

“You are,” Dean spits out.

 

“Hmm,” Jonas says, leaning back in his chair. “What proof do you have for these accusations?”

 

“Besides the videos from your lab?” Dean says. “Your PERSONAL lab.”

 

“That’s a good one Dean my boy,” he says, chuckling. “But we both know that weird albino disabled the cameras for that lab.”

 

Actually, he didn’t,“ Dean states. "He just said he did. Mr. White didn’t trust you and just played with his phone for an hour. He’s really good at that”

Jonas doesn’t say anything, but Dean backs away. He should have thought this through more. This isn’t like a normal boy adventure where the masks are taken off the bad guys and everybody goes their merry way. bad guys locked up, ice cream floats all around. Looking around the room, he sees hidden on the coat rack is the orange suit. 

 

He dashes out of the colony, the iron smell of the air hitting him. He dashes straight to where he knows Jaal’s camp is. He sees many Martians milling around, going about their life. He approaches, out of breath. Jaal commands them to disperse and they obey. Too startled by the events, Dean goes limp in Jaal’s arms. Jaal sets him down in the cave and Dean dusts himself off. He feels light headed and like he might vomit.

 

Dean tells Jaal the story from start to finish. From decking Jonas for insulting Roxxy to him discovering what Jonas has been doing in his “off time”. He skips the gorier bits, the feeling Jaal being aware already apparent. . Jaal listens intently, brow furrowed as their upper arms fidget. A stillness fills the cavern. Jaal sighs before standing up. Dean follows suit, not sure what is going on in the Martian’s head. He waits for Jaal to say something, anything. But he is greeted with nothing but silence. Finally, they uncross their arms and meet Dean’s gaze.

 

“Thank you,” Jaal says. “For informing me of the cause of this tragedy. Justice will be brought to this Jonas?”

 

“Yeah,” Dean says. “My girlfriend’s dad is letting the people in charge of the colony know and they will handle the rest.”

 

“Girl friend?” Jaal asks.

 

“Roxxy is my girlfriend,” Dean says. “It’s like a really special friend. Who is a girl.”

 

“I understand Roxxy is special to you,” Jaal says. “But what is a girl friend and how does that make them a different kind of friend? I have not heard this term before.”

 

“Ohhh,” Dean says. “Well, Roxxy is a girl and I am a boy. Since we are dating, she is my girlfriend since she is a girl and that makes me her boyfriend since I am a boy.”

 

Dean can feel his cheeks flare. He feels ridiculous, explaining something so trivial while big things are happening. Jonas is probably still looking for him, and he is a bit stuck right now. And it would be a way easier topic then explaining his grand father. Jaal listens as Dean fumbles through an explanation of how human women and men differ. A lighter topic then before, the tension in the cavern evaporates. Jaal is fascinated, wishing to know more about the colonists.

 

A loud clang of metal on rock catches their attention. Standing in the door way is a tall Martian, red stained pelt stating their allegiance. A long spiraling scar on their upper right arm tells dean that this Martian was also a subject of Jonas’ “improvements”. Jaal pushes Dean behind their much larger frame. They whisper for him to follow the crack until they see light. Dean nods and obeys. The Martian that entered the cave looked out for blood and didn’t seem like the sort to care much about whose at this point.

 

Dean finds the end to the cavern and looks around. He has no idea where he is on Mars and he is too worried to call pop to come and find him. He isn’t getting much reception out here anyway. He sees the grey of the colony far in the distance. The dull grey metal stands out like a beacon among the bright red dirt of the planet. He starts heading towards it with determination. He can’t be too far from the colony. Looking to the left of him, he can see the outskirts of the settlement of Martians. The cavern was more deep than long, a welcome surprise for Dean.

 

A low humming becomes louder and louder as he walks on. At first, he ignores the sound, believing it to be a product of his over active imagination. He just needs to get home and have that talk with Roxxy. But soon, the hum gets too loud for it to be just him imagining things. He tries to divert his attention to anything else. He knows all about mirages and to just ignore them. He doesn’t think they extend to noises but doesn’t see why it wouldn’t. He stops and looks back at the path he came from.

 

Dean carries on, mind focused on Roxxy and what she could possibly need to talk to him about. Maybe she has news about Bowie? That doesn’t sound important enough to have to talk about in person. If it was something about her parents, one of them or pop would have told him about it by now. Hank can’t keep his mouth shut about anything, so it can’t be anything pertaining to him or Sirena.

Dean thinks back to every conversation he had with Roxx have had since his “imprisonment” and nothing really stands out to him. Bowie chewed up a pair of socks he forgot there, but she got him new ones already. She did joke yesterday she has an addiction to pancakes now. But none of that strikes him as “Sirena intervention” worthy.

That humming noise is stronger now. It’s almost ear splitting and he resists the urge to cover his ears and scream. What is that noise and where is it coming from? The colony is right in his sights and all he has to do is keep going straight ahead and he will be there in no time. Dean whirls around, the humming coming to a sudden stop.

He swore saw something move behind a sand dune. His heart starts to race as he whips his head around, nerves shot. The colony is right there. He will be back and safe with Roxxy in five minutes, tops. This is freaking him out. Maybe he can ask pop what he knows about auditory mirages when he gets back to the colony. They can have a nice conversation about it and maybe a good laugh over him being “extra-stitious” about things.

 

Dean can just make out the bay doors to the colony and breathes a sigh of relief when he trips. He groans, picking himself up. Dusting himself off he happens to spot his shadow. His shadow has far too many arms for it to be just his shadow. With apprehension, he turns around. He manages a scream before all goes black.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thrilling conclusion where all things are resolved!

Dean jolts awake and looks around the room. Plain white walls and a steady beeping is all he notices at first. He looks at his hand and sees an IV attached. He tugs on the cord and feels it tug securely in him. He knows better than to pull it out. He puts on his glasses. A spider web scratch runs down one of the lens. 

Dean knows he is going to have to get them replaced as he puts them on. He can’t see anything through the cracked lens Right now, he has bigger issues. He grabs the call button and presses it. He hears a loud BEEP and in comes a nurse, followed closely by Dr. Billy. He has a clipboard in his hands and a stern look on his face. 

Dean pays no mind to the nurse taking his vitals. He is far more concerned with the look Dr. Billy is shooting his way when the nurse isn’t looking. Like he is angry at him, but is trying to be nice. The nurse leaves and Dean sits back up. Dr. Billy just sighs and sits on the chair next to his bed. Dr. Billy puts the clipboard on a nearby table and sighs.

 

“How did I get back here?” Dean croaks.

 

“Roxanne brought you here,” Dr. Billy says, his voice stilted. “She explained what happened. ”

 

Dean sighs in relief. Looking over at Dr. Billy, he can tell that there is more news. Something he doesn’t want to tell him in his weakened condition. He waits for him to continue. Dr. Billy has a terrible poker face and can’t keep a secret for long.

 

“We did our best, but…” Dr. Billy starts but pauses, swallowing hard. 

 

Dean feels his heart drop. Dr. Billy puts his hand on his knee as the information sinks in. She can’t be gone. He feels the tears drip down and he wraps his arms around himself. Dr. Billy says he can take him to her. He wants, no needs to say goodbye.

Dean can feel the tears well up again as he sees the soft pink sheets on the bed in the room Billy lead him to. All he can see is the tips of her ears poking up, tenting the sheet around. Her rabbit bear is on the table, along with origami flowers.

Dean gasps as he sees a soft ear twitch from under the sheet. He sees the lump under the sheet shift as he says her name. Slowly, he sees a grey blue eye slit open as the sheet falls down, revealing a bedraggled but very alive Roxxy.

 

Heart pounding, he takes a step forward. Roxxy smiles so softly. Dean goes over and gathers Rox in his arms. Dean is mindful of the IV attached to her and keeps his IV from getting tangled with his. He pulls back, smiling as tears blur his vision again. She looks tired and a bit ragged, but she is alive and that is what matters. As long as she is okay, he is okay. He rubs his nose against hers, not caring how rough hers is compared to his.

 

Dr. Billy clears his throat. Dean blushes as Dr. Billy removes his IV, placing a plain bandage over where it was. Dr. Billy warns them to take it easy for awhile. He has other patients to check on, and he will be back in an hour to check on them. Dean nods, too giddy to properly respond. He closes the door behind him. 

Roxxy scoots over and Dean sits on the bed. Mindful of her IV, she sits in his lap. He leans back, content with Roxxy in his arms. He’d usually be embarrassed being this “lovey dovey where everybody can see” but he doesn’t care. Holding her close and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. He can hear the beginning of her purring. It’s stuttered but he doesn’t mind. After what they have been through, it’s to be expected.

 

Dean hears the door open. In the doorway is standing Mr. White, a large basket full of nice things for Roxxy. Dean sees a vein twitch about his temple and is concerned. He puts the wicker basket down onto the table nearby and demands Dean “front and center”. He stands in front of Mr. White as ordered. He isn’t sure what Mr. White wants, but he looks angry. At him in specific. He is pushed into the nearby wall, Roxxy gasping as her dad gets in his face.

 

“You said,” Mr. White growls. “You wouldn’t hurt her.”

 

Dean can barely gasp out a confused “what?” before he feels the nails dig into his shoulders. He can see Roxx wrap her hands around Mr. White’s elbows, having gotten out of her bed. Her eyes are dull but firm. She pulls her dad’s hands down, slipping them within her own.

 

“I’m okay, Dad,” she whispers, so soft Dean can just barely hear her. “He didn’t know.”

 

Mr. White’s shoulders sag in defeat as she does her best to envelop him in a hug, softening his anger. Her legs are trembling just standing. He can hear them talking in hushed tones and Dean goes to sit on the bed. Mr. White kisses her forehead before leaving. He shoots a death glare at Dean before leaving. Rox looks at the basket and grimaces in pain. Dean hops off the bed and gets the basket for her. She smiles gratefully at him. He helps her back to the bed.

 

Roxxy looks through the basket, reading the cards and sorting through what is in the gift basket. He can see there are little craft kits and busy work things for Roxx in it. She grabs the vase full of fake flowers and puts them in the basket before setting the basket on the table. 

Dean moves closer to her, settling her within his lap. She lays her head onto his chest. He holds her cheek in his hand. Her face is soft and warm. He doesn’t want to ruin this moment but he has to know what they were talking about. He can see the bandages wrapped around her in odd areas peeking out from under her gown. What happened to her?

 

“What don’t I know?” Dean asks. “It sounded important, what you and your dad were talking about.”

 

Roxxy’s eyes dart down, unable to meet his gaze. She takes a deep shuddering breath, a single tear escaping down her downy cheek. Dean feels it drip down his hand. She looks at him, forcing herself to make eye contact with him. Her eyes are watery with unshed tears. She sniffs them back, wiping her nose on the back of her hand. Dean bites his lip nervously. He has never seen her this nervous. Not even when she broke her father’s beloved figurine collection.

 

“Remember when I asked if we could talk?” Roxxy asks slowly.

 

Dean nods. It was only yesterday. Well, a few days but it only feels like it was yesterday. It was on his mind the entire time he was going to warn the Martians. His brow furrows in thought. She kneads a corner of the blanket, a nervous habit she has had forever.

 

“Uhmm,” she starts. “After, I went out to get some fresh air. I saw you running towards the colony. I saw you fall, so I went to help you. Bowie followed, like he usually does. The Martian got distracted by him and we made a clean getaway and Bowie would make it back like he always did when he was in trouble. But then…”

 

Dean holds her close, her voice breaking. He wraps his arms around her as best he could, trying to console her. She pulls away, wanting to finish what she was telling him. It’s important to her, he knows. She has tears running down her face. She sniffs and continues.

 

“The Martian must have lost their patience with Bowie,” she whispers. “They had arrows, lots of them.. They hurt, but I kept going. I saw a bunch of the medical guys and went straight to them. Then….”

 

She swallows hard before continuing.

There was so much blood,“ She whimpers. “Everything hurt so bad but I tried to keep it together. I tried so very hard. Even when I only suspected and didn’t have any proof but a feeling. He lectured me, of course. ”

 

Dean fills his heart sink. He realizes what Sirena was trying to tell him about Roxxy. He looks at her sad tear filled eyes. He buries her face into his chest, trying to be strong for her. He can feel his lip tremble but he doesn’t let himself cry. He bites his lip until he tastes iron. 

He rocks with her, making soft shushing noises, doing everything e can to comfort her. Her cries start to soften into muffled whimpers. He thinks she was finished crying until her eyes cloud over again. She buries her face in his chest, apologizing over and over again. He tells her it’s not her fault, trying to console her as he rocks her in his arms.

 

“I messed up anyway, didn’t I?” she hiccups. “ I told Jonas that I didn’t plan it at all. That I wasn’t trying to trap you or nothing. That I hadn’t even told you yet and that my parents are plenty rich already and I wouldn’t need any of your money for anything. He didn’t believe me, at all. He said I was…a gold digging slut and that you were just going through a phase with me. That no Venture would consider a freak like me “wife” material.“

 

Roxx wipes her running nose on her hand. He sees her whiskers droop, and she looks defeated. He tries but can’t get any words out. Not able to say the words to comfort her, he kisses her. Long and slow and filled with every ounce of love he has for her and her alone. 

Dean pulls away, smoothing her fur with his hands that were resting on her cheeks. She leans into his touch, eyes closed. He kisses her nose and then rests his forehead against hers. He turns to see who is knocking on her door. Looking, he sees it’s Dr. Billy, checking up on them. He realizes that Mr. White is with him as well.

 

Dean gets up, legs stiff from being in one position for so long. Roxxy lays down, needing to rest. He places a hand on Roxxy’s head, scratching behind her ear before leaving. Dean looks at Mr. White and can’t find the words. He weakly gestures, hoping the message gets across. He can tell they want to spend time alone with Roxxy for a bit. 

Dean finds Jonas in the dining hall, talking to a crowd of people. Dean knew he would be in a place where plenty of people can gather. It appears he is biding his final farewells. Jonas sees him and waves at him cheerfully. Like nothing is wrong. That he hasn’t violated who knows how many laws. Or that he didn’t say what he said about Roxxy.

 

He sees Hank with Sirena sitting in the crowd and for the briefest of moments reconsiders confronting Jonas. Hank adores Jonas, and Sirena doesn. He has idolized Jonas from the cartoons. Dean doesn’t know if he can ruin that for him. Hank always looked for positive male figures, but Jonas is not it. He needs to do this, for Roxxy. He waits for a lull in the laughter before stepping forward.

 

“What is wrong with you?” Dean asks 

 

The room goes deathly quiet. Dean keeps his eyes locked on Jonas. Jonas extracts himself from the crowd of well wishers. Dean hears the crowd talking amongst themselves and Dean ignores them. It is clear that they don’t know what Dean is talking about. He stands in front of Dean, towering and menacing, like Goliath before David. He tries to put a hand on Dean’s shoulder but he shakes it off. 

 

“Dean,” Jonas states. “Dean, she had no proof but her word she has only been with you. I have to protect your best interests. ”

 

Hank looks at Jonas with horror clear in his blue eyes before going to Dean’s side, Sirena following. Dean is just grateful Hank is on his side. Standing next to him, Dean didn’t realize he was swaying on his feet until he had Hank and Sirena next to him. He lets Hank hook his arm around his like when they were little and lead him. Sirena follows close by, daring anybody to say anything to them.

 

Dean knows Hank wants answers. Dean gets Hank(and Sirena) caught up. The Martians, Jonas’ involvement, everything that Dean found out before he was hospitalized again. Hank is stunned, unaware of how involved Jonas was with all the things happening around the colony. They walk into the medical bay and are given visitor passes to see Roxxy in her room.

 

Dean sees that the IV in Roxxy’s hand has been removed. A little pink Hello Kitty bandage is over where it was. Dr. Billy tells him she still needs to rest. Dr. Billy offers to let him spend the two nights with her. Dean nods, not wanting to be apart from Roxxy any longer. He mentions how by the end of the week, they can head back to Earth. Hanks looks crestfallen for a moment but perks back up. He offers to go back to their place and get Dean some clothes for tomorrow. Before Dean can answer, Hank is already off. Dean figures he must be off talking to Brittany and maybe convince her to try out Earth. He has grown rather close to her and Dean can see that this might be more serious than his other crushes or relationships.

 

That night, Dean was reading Roxxy’s favourite book to her over dinner. She is able to read just fine, but she likes the voices he makes when reading it. At the end of a chapter, he hears a noise outside. Dean puts the book down, curious as he hears the voice raising. He pecks Roxxy on the forehead before going to investigate.

 

Peeking into the waiting room, Dean sees pop with his arms crossed. Jonas is handcuffed in front of him, escorted by two large secret service types. Last minute health check to make sure he can make the trip in his “advanced age”, Dean assumes. He can hear Jonas try and explain himself to pop, but pop is not having it. Dean smiles as he hears pop chew Jonas out for his behavior before he is dragged away.

 

Pop turns and sees Dean. Pop’s cheeks turn bright red as Dean goes over and envelops him in a hug. He knows pop hasn’t been in to visit Roxxy since she was admitted. Scared she didn’t want to see him or something. He drags him to Roxxy’s room, pop protesting. Dean ignores him, and proclaims that Roxxy has a visitor. Her ears jump up, excited at seeing his pop. 

 

Roxxy chirps a shy hello at pop. Dean nudges pop forward. Resigned, pop pulls a book out from his lab coat for her, a book on hybrids by her creator. Made as part of his parole, clearly. He says he was saving it for her birthday, but figured she could use it now. She thanks him, putting the book in the basket for later. She flexes her paws, just as nervous as pop is. After what happened, he doesn’t blame either of them.

 

Dean mentions how neat her paws are and wonders aloud how they work. Taking the opportunity, Pop starts talking about the finer points of genetic splicing. They listen dutifully as he talks about his “expertise” at length. During his discussion, Mr. White “snuck” Bowie into her room who flopped on the foot of her bed. Roxxy chirps happily, glad they found her pet. Pop rolls his eyes at the interruption before continuing his discussion. Mr. White listens to pop talk about hybrids as well, adding his own “insight” every now and again.

 

Dr. Billy comes in and reminds the two of the time visitors are to leave. He leaves, promising to continue the discussion tomorrow. Mr. White nods, still sore at Dean no doubt. Dr. Billy does a final check on Roxxy’s wound and leaves them alone. Not before warning them against any activity that could hamper Roxxy’s recovery. Dean cringes internally. The two teens chuckle as Dean slips under the pink sheets. They talk about what they are going to do once they return to Earth until they fall asleep.

 

Dean is woken by the soft whimpers of Roxxy. He fumbles for his glasses before giving up on them as Roxxy stirs in her sleep. Her whimpers don’t cease on their own so he scoots closer to her. He shakes her awake. He kisses her forehead, trying to soothe her night terrors away. He holds her close, letting her cry into his shirt. He rubs her back as she mumbles into his shirt.

 

He lays his chin on top of her head, rocking her as she mumbles to herself, just barely audible. He can hear her listing what sounds like names under her breath and he feels his heart clench. He lets her ramble, only occasionally commenting on interesting sounding name or ones he thinks are nice to let her know he is still awake with her. She eventually tires of listing names, and just lays her face on his chest. He pets her pink hair, mindful of her downturned ears.

 

The light suddenly clicks on in their room. Dean turns from Roxxy, squinting at the sudden bright light. He squints his eyes and finds his glasses, putting them on. He sees Pop standing in the doorway. The clock on the stand says it’s past midnight from what he can make out. Dean sits up, wondering what his pop would want this late. Roxxy sits up as well, wiping her face smooth. Pop’s eyes are red and he looks like he tied his bathrobe around itself. With a solemn sigh, he tells them that Jonas is gone.

 

Before Dean can roll his eyes at the obvious, he elaborates that he means dead and not just gone from the colony. The pod was making it’s way back to Earth. The scientists are trying to figure out why his pod veered off of it’s course. The last coordinates they received from the pod showed it was on a direct course for the Sun before blinking off.

 

Rusty leaves, assuming they are too stunned to say anything. Honestly, Dean was trying not to laugh. He already knows what happened to Jonas. He tried messing with the controls to avoid justice. It was so typically Jonas, Dean would have believed it was a cancelled plot from the old Rusty Venture cartoons. 

Roxxy has her arms are wrapped around her midsection, a cold look on her face. He reaches out and lays his hand on her shoulder. She stiffens but he doesn’t give up. He pulls her close, trying to soothe her. He places his hands over hers, laying his chin on top of her head. He can feel her shaking but she turns her hands to hold his. He sees Bowie stir from his spot on the bed looking at them with concern.

 

“I want to be sad that your grandpa is dead,” she says. “That you were not able to be close with him like I am with my grandparents. But…”

 

She stops herself, biting her lip to keep from saying something harsh. Her eyes turn steely and she focuses on a bleach stain on the sheets. He tries to convince her to continue what she was saying, but she clams up. Bowie scampers over, laying his head on his master’s lap. The sand beast meows at Roxxy, snuggling her legs close. She pats his head. 

Bowie rolls over, waving his paws in the air like he is a dog. He hears her laugh at the beast’s antics but her laugh sounds hollow and forced. Not at all like the carefree Roxxy he knows and loves. Her words echo in his head. Everything Jonas said to her, he knows it is only scratching the surface of what his grandfather put her through.

 

“I’m glad he’s dead,” he spits out.

 

She gasps, startled at his declaration. Bowie falls off the bed, having rolled too close to the edge. He makes a confused mewl and looks around in bewilderment. Roxxy taps the bed, inviting him back up. Bowie scrambles back on the bed, laying on the end of Roxx’s narrow hospital bed. The beast gets repositioned on the bed and goes back to sleep. In no time, the beast rolls onto his back and wiggles his feet in the air like he is running. He is going to be an interesting subject to explain, for sure. They might be able to pass him and Sprinkles off as one of pop’s experiments.

 

“I’m glad he’s dead,” Dean repeats. “After all he’s put us through, after all he’s done to so many, it’s been a long time coming.”

 

Roxxy brushes her thumb under his eye, and he realizes he was crying. He brushes her aside and wipes his face on his sleeve. He takes his glasses off, dusting them using the sheet. He puts them back on the nightstand and lays back down. Roxx joins him, brushing hair out of his face. He turns away from her, curling into a ball. He doesn’t want to be upset that Jonas is dead. Not even for pop or Hank’s sake.

 

After what Jonas did to him and Roxxy, Jonas doesn’t deserve that consideration. Let him know wherever he is that one of his grandsons hates him, even when he is dead. Dean hears a low and steady rumbling noise start. He peeks down and sees Bowie with his mouth wide open, tongue on the sheets. He can’t be making that noise, obviously. And the noise is coming from behind him more then below him. He feels something soft brush against the nape of his neck. Should have known.

 

Dean can’t remember a time he has been able to hide anything from Roxxy’s keen eye. Even before they became a couple, she always knew when he was upset. He turns to look at her dark blue eyes. They are sad and soft and he isn’t sure how long she will look so haunted. Or if it will ever pass. And he knows exactly who is at fault for that look darkening his Roxxy’s sunshine bright disposition. But she is still trying to make things better, for him. Even after what he did, she is still trying so hard.

 

“I know what he did to us wasn’t fair,” she whispers. “But I know you still cared about him. And it hurts that he died before you could show him that he was wrong about us being just a phase. It’s okay to be sad about him being gone. It’s not some betrayal if that is what you are worried about. You don’t need to act all aloof and stuff about it.”

 

“That’s not it, Roxxy,” Dean whispers, voice starting to crack. “I put solving the mystery before you. You said you had something you needed to talk with me about and I ignored you. I did what my pop always did with me and Hank. I just assumed it wasn’t important, like what pop always does. If I just listened to you…”

 

His voice cracks. He tries to continue but can’t get past the lump in his throat. He wraps his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. He hopes she understands what he was trying to say. Not able to hold it back anymore, he starts to cry. Sobs wrack his frail body, and he doesn’t care.

They should be happy and nervous, damn it. Picking out names and nursery colours and reading every book on the subject imaginable. Figuring out how to balance school with raising children. Not grieving like this. She slips her arms around him, rubbing his back as he cries. 

 

Dean isn’t sure how much time passes, but his sobs eventually run their course. He hiccups and she grabs a handful of tissues for him. He takes them gratefully and turns away to blow his nose. He tosses the tissue into the trash and curls up into her arms. He puts his ear next to her chest, letting the rumbles envelop him. It’s a soft and comforting sound. He pets her soft tail, the soft texture familiar and warm. By this time next week, they will be back on Earth and can go back to their lives.

 

Dean isn’t sure what that really means anymore, after all this time away. Before, all he was worried about was getting into college and ducking super villains trying to hurt his pop. He has changed so much from the Dean that was dragged here against his will. Although if he was honest with himself, he wanted to go just as much as pop did. 

Dean can hear Roxx’s purring quiet as she drifts off. She is so tired after all that has happened. She has more than earned some rest. He should be resting for the journey back too. But he is still so awake. Worried about his future with Roxx. He worries that what Jonas did to her is only a precursor of what they will face on Earth. And it wouldn’t be any better for any children they have. 

 

Looking at the slumbering woman in his arms, a crazy idea strikes him. Hank’s levels of crazy. He remembers Dr. Ventore’s promise to vouch for them if they wanted to come back once they complete their education on Earth. A soft smile on his face forms as he realizes that most of Hank’s crazy ideas end up working better then most of his rational ideas. He settles into the soft bed, assured that if things don’t work on Earth, they can always return to their life on Mars.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue Chapter for those that are into that sort of thing

The sun is setting on the red planet, a day spent with his brother’s family. He heads home. Dean enters the home and sees Roxxy laying on the couch. She scoots her paws under the blanket. She rubs her cheek on his leg before joining her on the couch. He scratches a mottled and pointed ear and smiles as she leans into his touch. Cooing silly endearments, he can’t believe they’ve been together for nearly fifteen years.

After returning back to Earth, they both buckled down and focused on their studies. After much cajoling, Roxxy’s parents let her drop out of high school and get her GED. Which she got before applying straight to college. His pop pulled a few strings to make sure that she got into Stuyvesant, Dean knows that for a fact. Not that she needed it. 

She tried downplaying her genius when she got enrolled. Dean knew it was because she didn’t want more attention drawn to her then there already was. Hearing some of the gossip in the halls, he understood perfectly. Not that he cared one bit about what anybody had to say about them.

While Hank was busy living the life of a “carefree playboy with a girlfriend”, they were planning for their future. Roxxy was deadset on getting her degrees, as was Dean. He also had something else on his mind. 

Right after they got back on Earth, he got her a sapphire centered engagement ring, but he was too nervous to just propose. Unlike Hank and his Ring Pop engagement ring for Sirena, which he later replaced with a real ring. He envied Hank’s confidence, he will admit.

Dean was so caught up she might say no, he just wore it on a chain around his neck. Roxx eventually caught on, and he proposed, which she said yes to. They got married right after college, as per her parents’ request. It was a small affair by Venture standards, just how they wanted it. 

 

They spent five years on Earth, working on getting get back on Mars. One day, an offer for a position as head scientist on Mars was sent his way, their hard work coming to fruition. They left immediately and never looked back. She took over the sand beast lab, just as she always wanted. 

Dean was grateful that few reminders remained of Jonas’ time on Mars. Thankfully, most of the “Rebel Martian” died of complications. Most of the inhabitants are unsure if they ever existed in the first place. For the sake of peace with the Martians, the kept quiet and let the legends remain just that. 

After some time, her parents decided to retire to Mars so they could be closer to Roxxy and away from “certain” people, namely their archenemy. It was to nobody’s surprise when Rusty followed shortly after. He cited super villainy boredom, but you didn’t need a degree to know it was loneliness that drove him to leave Venture Tech in Pirate Captain’s mostly capable hands. Dean isn’t sure when Hank and Hatred joined them on Mars, but the whole gang was back on Mars.

Roxxy rubs her jaw against his jaw, getting his attention away from his daydreams. Roxxy yawns loudly, laying her head on his shoulder. She looks up at him, deep eyes soft with sleepiness. He nudges her, tugging the blanket over a bit. The blanket she was under slides down, revealing a purple sweater and grey jeans. She is wearing little foot socks with pumpkins on them. The sweater was something her Dad made her years ago. Dean has a matching maroon one, buried in his closet. 

A sharp cry catches their attention from each other. He pops off the couch. Roxxy is already off the couch, paws padding on the floor as she heads to the source of the crying. Dean clicks the light on and is greeted by pale tan walls and an increase in crying volume. Little lilac kittens and orange giraffes provide some contrast to the plain tan. 

Roxxy picks up a tiny crying baby from a crib, settling in the rocking chair before feeding the hungry baby. Dean picks up her twin. He holds her close, rubbing her back in soothing circles. Her soft pink jumper has a little reindeer tail on the back. He sees that her name is spelled out in curling letters, the A in Amber in a lighter thread then the rest. 

Dean looks over at Roxxy with a questioning look. Roxxy grins before pointing out the pale blue thread spelling out Rosalyn on the other kittens back. Her idea of a joke, he is sure. He calms Amber down, letting her suckle on his finger while he waits for Rosalyn to finish feeding. 

Roxx passes him the well fed kitten and he trades her for Amber. He gets Rosalyn ready for bed as Amber gets fed. She kicks her feet cheerfully as he changes her. She puts up a playful fight but he wins and gets her in less silly clothing. Simple purple with tiny glow in the dark stars that keep the twins enchanted for hours. He puts her in her back in her crib, brushing her short red tail from underneath her. She stares at him curiously. She tries to reach her tail but is too sleepy.

He looks over at the kitten Roxxy is feeding now. Dean finds it fascinating how different the twins are. Amber’s eyes are still as blue as the day she was born while Rosalyn’s eyes are becoming more and more hazel. Amber’s strawberry blonde hair is just thick enough to be tied into tiny pigtails above her elf like ears. What little hair Rosalyn has is a vibrant red brown colour, sticking out at all angles around her still folded ears. 

Roxxy finishes with Amber as Dean checks on Rosalyn one last time. She puts the quiet kitten into her crib, brushing a kiss against the kitten’s forehead. Dean wraps an arm around Roxxy. They go to their bedroom, needing shut eye just as much as their tiny wards. 

Digging in the dresser, he grabs a tank top and a pair of green pajama bottoms. Peeling off the grey cargo pants and red t shirt, he starts changing into his pajamas. He gets dressed and turns towards her. She has slipped on a powder blue nightgown, clothes in the hamper. She has not moved from the door frame. Arms crossed under her breasts, she is deep in thought. He walks over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He places a hand on her chin, lifting her gaze to his.

“What are you thinking about?” Dean asks.  
“I was just thinking about how lucky we are,” she whispers.

Dean kisses her. She stifles a yawn, burying her face in his chest. Dean lays his chin on top of her head. He knows Rox is rolling her eyes at him. He brushes a stray tuft of hair from her face.

“I love you,” Dean says.  
“I love you too,” she purrs.

She kisses him and lays her head on his chest. He lays his chin on top of her head and enjoys the feeling of her rumbling on his jaw. Tired after a long day, they finish getting ready for bed. They slide under the blankets on their large bed and Roxx resettles under his arm. Cuddled together, they fall asleep with soft smiles on their faces.

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a self challenge and also self indulgence at it's finest. Took many months to get all about 70,000 words that this fic is typed and refined.


End file.
